GREENSBORO, N. Carolina (Aug. 15, 2010) -- Andres Echavarria of Medellin, Columbia and overcame a three stroke deficit and passed a trio of players that included defending champion Clayton Rotz to win the Cardinal Amateur at Cardinal Golf & Country Club.
A final round of 65, one of the lowest rounds of the tournament (Adam Stephenson blistered the course with a 64 in the first round) did the trick. 36-hole leader and hometown favorite Will Bowman finished second after posting a final round of 71 while Rotz (the defending champ) slid to a tie for 7th after posting a final round of 74.
Echavarria is on a roll lately, having made the final 16 at the Western Amateur earlier this month, and qualifying for the U.S. Amateur to be played at the end of August at Chambers Bay Golf Club in Washington.
After qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, he told the Athletics department of The University of Florida (he is a rising junior on the golf team):
“It is going to be fun to be back again after not qualifying for two years. I am playing really well and feel like my chances are good to do well in this prestigious tournament.”
Echavarria fires 65, wins Cardinal Amateur
Andres Echavarria of Medellin, Columbia turns in a final round of 65 to overcome a three stroke deficit