Ben Warian bounces back to win the Sunnehanna Amateur

June 15, 2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Ben Warian (Back of the Range Photo)

Warian was the first round leader and fell back in the middle rounds, but a strong final round saw him propel back to the lead

Ben Warian saw his name at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the first round and final round at the 2024 Sunnehanna Amateur at Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown, Pa.

Warian finished 13-under, one shot better than Jase Summy, who finished in solo second place at 12-under. Palmer Jackson finished in solo third place at 11-under, and Zac Jones finished T4 and 10-under.

The Minnesota standout shot a first-round 5-under 65 with six birdies and one bogey, with birdies coming into the clubhouse on holes No. 16, 17, and 18.

"As much as you can out here," Warian told Back of the Range after the opening round about playing aggressively. "With these greens, you are always going to have to play a little defensive at times during the round, but yeah, that's as good as you can have it out here for sure."

He lost the lead after a second-round 1-over 71, but a 3-under 67 saw him get back to T4 heading into the final round. He saved his best for last, carding a 6-under 64 in the final round to win by one shot.

He recorded six birdies and no bogeys, including birdies on holes No. 11, 15, and 17 to take the lead late.

With the win, Warian moves up from No. 29 to No. 20 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com U.S. Rankings. He finished T16 at the Big Ten Championships, T2 at the NCAA Division I West Regional, and T25 at the NCAA Division I championships.

Max Herendeen held the 54-shot lead, but a final round 1-over 71 saw him fall to T5 and 9-under. Standing on the 14th tee, Herendeen was 13-under, but bogeys on No. 14 and 15 and a double bogey on No. 16 ended his chance at winning.

Herendeen has been playing his best golf recently. He won the NCAA Division I West Regional and finished T2 to Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech in the NCAA individual championships. He also won the 2022 Coachella Amateur and finished T16 at the 2024 Big Ten Championships.

The Sunnehanna Amateur was inaugurated in July 1954. It was the first country club-sponsored 72-hole stroke play competition for amateurs in the United States. The tournament is played on a classic A.W. Tillinghast design.

Only one other amateur tournament in the United States can boast contestants such as Chick Evans, Arnold Palmer, Julius Boros, Art Wall, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Rickie Fowler: the United States Amateur. Its medal-play format has been emulated by countless amateur tournaments across the country.

Alumni of the Sunnehanna Amateur have gone on to win 1,321 times on the PGA Tour, 20 PGA Tour Player of the Year awards, and 96 major championships.

Results: Sunnehanna Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Ben Warian	Stillwater, MN	1200	65-71-67-64=267
2	Jase Summy	Keller, TX	900	67-70-64-67=268
3	Palmer Jackson	Murrysville, PA	700	71-67-63-68=269
4	Zac Jones	Highland, UT	700	69-67-65-69=270
T5	Connor Jones	Westminster, CO	700	69-66-68-68=271

View full results for Sunnehanna Amateur

About the Sunnehanna Amateur

Ben Warian bounces back to win the Sunnehanna Amateur

First played in July 1954, the Sunnehanna Amateur holds a distinguished place in golf history as the first country club-sponsored 72-hole medal (stroke) play event for amateurs in the United States. Its groundbreaking format helped set the standard f...