Gabriel Salvanera wins Desert Amateur at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes

December 5, 2021 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

2021 Desert Amateur champion Gabe Salvanera

Arizona State sophomore earns title with final-round 62

Arizona State sophomore Gabe Salvanera shot a final round 62 on Sunday to capture the Desert Amateur held at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Maricopa, Ariz.

Salvanera, who entered the day two strokes behind 36-hole leader and Sun Devil teammate Jeewon Park, finished at 17-under 199 to earn a four-stroke victory over Jose Luis Ballester, who also plays at Arizona State, while Brock Polhill, who plays collegiately at Wichita State, finished seven back at 10-under 206.

Salvanera made three consecutive birdies out of the gates on Sunday and never looked back en route to a final round 62. He picked up two more birdies on holes 7 and 9 to turn in 31 and added five more birdies on his inward nine to seal the four-shot win.

“First and foremost, none of this would be possible without God, my family, my friends, and coaches," said Salvanera. "Throughout the tournament, my ball-striking was really good and I just needed to see some putts drop. Fortunately during the final round they did. I’m still learning and growing in each tournament. I plan to continue to get better and make an impact next spring with my boys at ASU.”

Park, who had the overnight lead at 9-under, finished tied for fourth at 8-under following a final round 73.

The next event in the Troon Saguaro Amateur Series will be the Agave Amateur, Dec. 17-20 at Shadow Hills Golf Club in Indio, Calif.

Results: Desert Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Gabriel Salvanera	Queen Creek, AZ	300	68-69-62=199
2	Jose Luis Ballester	, Spain	200	67-70-66=203
3	Brock Polhill	Edmond, OK	100	69-68-69=206
T4	William McDonald	Oklahoma City, OK	100	72-69-67=208
T4	Jeewon Park	, Korea	100	70-65-73=208

View full results for Desert Amateur

About the Desert Amateur

Gabriel Salvanera wins Desert Amateur at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes

A part of the Troon Saguaro Amateur Series, the Desert Amateur is open to amateur golfers who meet the eligibility and exemption requirements which include position in various rankings, USGA appearances, and state amateur and mid-amateur champions. M...