Burke Alford uses stellar final eleven holes to win the Magnolia Amateur
7/3/2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for The Magnolia, Hattiesburg Country Club
Alford finished 5-under through the last eleven holes to chase down the field and win the championship by one shot
Burke Alford finished strong to chase down the field late and win the 2024 Magnolia Amateur at Hattiesburg Country Club in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Alford carded rounds of 68-68-67 to finish 10-under and win by one shot over Michael Crocker. Crocker finished 9-under and in solo second place with rounds of 68-69-67.
The Shreveport, La., native and rising senior at Louisiana Lafayette started the day two shots back of Chase Gullikson, who was in solo first place after 36 holes at 8-under, and Alford was three shots off the lead, standing on the No. 8 tee after making six pars and a bogey on No. 7.
He then caught fire, birding holes No. 8, 9, 13, 14, and 17 to win the championship by one shot.
Alford stayed out of any trouble this week, recording 12 birdies and only two bogeys. On the final hole, Alford hit his drive into the trees but was able to get up and down for par from what he would call afterward "the best shot of his life," according to the Magnolia Amateur.
He would two-putt for par after putting his approach shot to 20 feet from 200 yards out and over water.
Crocker finished in solo second place at 9-under, and Gullikson, Cam Smith, James Hassell, and Matt Fast all finished T3 at 8-under. Andrew Tan, Jack Gilbert, and Jake Springer all finished T7 at 7-under.
Alford is currently ranked No. 510 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com U.S. Rankings.
This was the strongest field for the Magnolia Amateur since its inception, with tournament records being set in the team competition. James Hassell and Chase Gullikson both finished T3 at 8 under to lead a four-shot victory for South Florida in the team competition over TCU, who finished in solo second place at 12-under.
Matt Fast captured the Mid-Amateur trophy, finishing 8-under with a final round 6-under 65.
Alford put together a solid junior season for the Ragin Cajuns, playing in 36 tournament rounds with a stroke average of 74.14 and recording three top-20 finishes and one top-ten finish.
Results: The Magnolia
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shreveport, LA | 300 | 68-68-67=203 | |
| 2 | Mobile, AL | 200 | 68-69-67=204 | |
| T3 | Hattiesburg, MS | 100 | 69-71-65=205 | |
| T3 | Vero Beach, FL | 100 | 69-67-69=205 | |
| T3 | Sandy Springs, GA | 100 | 70-65-70=205 |
About the The Magnolia
The Magnolia Amateur is a limited field event of 156 players consisting of a collegiate division and a mid-amateur division. The field will be cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes of competition has been completed. The overall champion m...
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