Canon Claycomb wins playoff for Rice Planters Amateur title

After three days of elite play, 54-holes were not enough to decide a champion at the 2020 Rice Planters Amateur. Northwestern’s John Driscoll and top junior Clay Merchant led the tournament heading into the final round with defending champ Austin Fulton (Mississippi State) and Alabama’s Canon Claycomb just one shot back. The trio of Driscoll, Fulton, and Merchant was the last group off the tee on Thursday with Claycomb just one group ahead. Both Merchant and Driscoll fell away as the day went on as they turned in a 74 and 75, goof for a Top-5 finish for Merchant and a T-6 finish for Driscoll. It turned out to be another great day for both Fulton and Claycomb. Both carding a 68, each man had a shot at the win down the stretch. Claycomb, not knowing where he stood against the leaders, got off on the wrong foot with a bogey on the first hole. Picking the dropped shot back up on No. 2, Claycomb went on a tear with five birdies on the final six holes of the front nine. Unable to maintain his seat on the birdie train, Claycomb posted a 2-over back nine and waited for the final group. After going out in 32, Fulton etched his lone bogey on the day at the par-4 15th. Gaining the lost stroke back on 16, Fulton turned in his scorecard only to head back out to face fellow SEC golfer, Claycomb in a playoff. With a birdie on the first playoff hole, Claycomb defeated Fulton, vaporizing Fulton’s chances of defending his title.

@clayamlung dropping the big bird in the Rice Planters Amateur Event! 🦅🦅 @gobearcatsmgolf #resultsrecruit #tgatakeover pic.twitter.com/leRAR4RNCn

— The Golf Academy at Persimmon Ridge (@golfacademypr) June 24, 2020

"Super blessed to be the 2020 Rice planters amateur champion," Claycomb said via Twitter. "Can’t thank everyone here in Charleston and my best friends who made the flight here for such a great week. Excited for this summer. RTR." What's next for Claycomb? He's set to play in the North & South Amateur at Pinehurst, the Southern Amateur, the Sunnehanna Amateur, the Western Amateur, and the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes to wrap up a busy summer for the rising Alabama junior.