Comeback gives Doherty back-to-back Sally titles

Amanda Doherty (Atlanta, Ga.) shot a sterling 1-under 71 in a stiff wind to overtake third-round leader Alexa Pano (Lake Worth, Fla.) and claim her second-straight Women's South Atlantic Amateur Championship at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla. For the 16-year-old Pano, it was an eerily similar experience to last year's Sally championship. Then, she carried a one-shot lead into the final round, only to watch Doherty close with a 69 to win by three shots. This year, Pano was up by four entering the final round. But in winds gusting up to 30 miles per hour, Doherty caught Pano by the turn and raced ahead with a series of birdie putts early on the back nine. Her 71 was one of only two rounds under 75 on the day and gave her a final winning margin of four shots. Her 72-hole total was 286, 2 under par. Pano stumbled to a 79 and a second-straight Sally runner-up finish to Doherty. The 2018 Sally champion Emma Migliaccio (Cary, N.C.) of Wake Forest University couldn't overcome a triple-bogey at the first hole and shot 78 to finish solo third. Another 16-year-old, Paris Hilinski (La Quinta, Calif.), shot the other round of the day, an even-par 72, to pull into fourth place.