Trey Wall uses hole-in-one to propel him to Kentucky Amateur Championship

June 13, 2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Trey Wall (Kentucky Golf House Photo)

Wall entered the final round down by one shot to Brady Smith, and finished with a four shot win

Trey Wall, a rising sophomore at Murray State University, won the Kentucky Amateur at Traditions Golf Club in Hebron, Ky., with a 54-hole score of 8-under. Wall started the final round three shots back of Brady Smith, but a final round 1-under 71 was good enough to secure the win.

Wall finished 8-under and carded rounds of 71-66-71. Brady Smith, Ben Haggin, Stephen Warren, and Fred Meyer all finished T2 and four shots back of Wall at 4-under. Frankie Morgan, Denver Haddix, and Jansen Preston finished T6 at 3-under.

Wall is currently ranked No. 914 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com U.S. Rankings.

After an opening round 1-under 71, Smith got hot and shot a 6-under 66 in the second round, punctuated by a hole-in-one on the par-3 No. 5. From 131 yards with a pitching wedge, Wall hit his tee shot 15 feet behind the flag and spun it in the hole. It was his second career hole-in-one.

After the second round 66, Wall entered the final round just one shot back of Brady Smith, who was in solo first place at 8-under.

"I have been in that position, but not in a tournament with that much on the line," Wall said. "I didn’t really know how to handle the night. I texted my coach at Murray State (Jacob Miller) and asked what I should be doing, what my mindset should be, and what was going through my head."

Wall added, "he told me to just do what I have done to get to this point, go out there, and have fun. That was my goal."

"I can't tell you how proud I am of Trey," Murray State Head Coach Jacob Miller told Murray State Athletics. "This past fall, he and I had a conversation about him redshirting and focusing on developing his game while saving a season, and that's exactly what he has done. He has now started his summer by winning his home event, the Calvert City Early Bird and the State Amateur."

A final round 1-under 71 from Wall and a final round 4-over 76 from Smith opened the door for Wall to win by four shots.

"Knowing that I can beat anybody in the state of Kentucky is pretty cool," Wall said. "Knowing that I can compete on any level is a huge confidence booster. I played pretty well coming into the event, and it was pretty eye-opening to be able to go out there and beat people like Brady (Smith), who is a stud."

Wall added, "It was really cool to get it done."

With the win, Wall earns an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club, the Southern Amateur, and a lifetime exemption into the Kentucky Amateur. This will be his first U.S. Amateur.

"Most of my family is going up to Minnesota, and we are booking flights. We are really excited," Wall said.

Results: Kentucky Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Trey Wall	Benton, KY	200	71-66-71=208
T2	Ben Haggin	Lexington, KY	100	74-71-67=212
T2	Stephen Warren	Owensboro, KY	100	74-68-70=212
T2	Fred Meyer	Nicholasville, KY	100	70-69-73=212
T2	Brady Smith	Simpsonville, KY	100	68-68-76=212

View full results for Kentucky Amateur

About the Kentucky Amateur

Trey Wall uses hole-in-one to propel him to Kentucky Amateur Championship

54-hole stroke play championship. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Section Medalist, Low Scorer in each round, Low Junior, Low Senior, Low Public Links contestant, runner-up and champion. Entrants in all KGA tournaments shall be re...