Saguaro Amateur: Braxton Watts of Utah registers wire-to-wire win
Braxton Watts (Utah Golf photo)
University of Utah junior Braxton Watts won the Saguaro Amateur (the Saguaro Series finale) shooting 13-under with rounds of 67-68-68. He finished clear of the field by four shots at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona.
Jimmy Dales, a graduate student at the University of Wyoming, and Ian McCrary, a junior at Kansas State, both shot an impressive 9-under par, securing a joint runner-up finish at the tournament. Dales carded rounds of 72-67-68, while McCrary posted scores of 73-69-65.
Previously, Dales captured the Sonoran Amateur, the ninth event of the Saguaro Amateur series, securing the win in a three-way playoff at Talking Stick Golf Club in Arizona.
Watts played in all 11 events for Utah during his sophomore season, delivering ten rounds at par or better—the team's second-highest total. His best finish was a tie for 12th at the John Burns Intercollegiate in 2023.
Baylor University freshman Davis Ovard and University of Michigan junior Hunter Thomson posted total scores of 8-under par, securing a joint fourth-place finish in the tournament.
ABOUT THE Saguaro Amateur
54-hole event with field comprised of 108
men’s amateur golfers from all over the United
States. Most players are college golfers on winter
break. All players must have completed high school
by January 1 and must have a handicap of 3.0 or
lower. The host club, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, has
hosted the Arizona Amateur three times as well as
U.S.
Open and PGA Tour qualifying.
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