Hannes Ronneblad wins Dixie Amateur

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — When the Swedish Men's Golf team entered the Dixie Amateur, the prospects of one of them winning were pretty good.

As it turned out, the 1-2 positions went to two Swedish players, Hannes Ronneblad and Marcus Svensson. It was Ronneblad that emerged with the trophy, as only a three-stroke difference in the third round (played at TPC Eagle Trace) separated the teammates.

In Tuesday's final round at Heron Bay Golf Club, the pair matched 5-under 67s. Ronneblad birdied the second and third holes to send a message about his intention for the day, answering Svensson's first hole birdie and opening a four-shot lead. But Svensson came back with an eagle at the par-5 fourth, and the pair traded off birdies the rest of the way. They matched each other several times, too, and would have had a best- ball of 9- under if playing a four-ball format.

Ronneblad's tournament total was 8-under par for the 72 holes. That's excellent considering the rain that pelted South Florida with anywhere from 8-16 inches over the last seven days. Wet, long-playing courses combined with high winds spelled difficulty at the two championship layouts that host the Dixie.

For Texas Tech golfer Ronneblad, the victory continues an upswing in his golf achievements. In the 2014- 2015 campaign, he achieved First-Team Academic All- Big 12 honors, won his first individual title, and recorded six top-10s.

Now he can call himself the Dixie Amateur champion as his name gets placed on a historic tournament trophy.

Ryan Troyer's steady play throughout the tournament granted him a third-place finish. The recent transfer from Kent State to Malone University never broke 70, but posted rounds under 74 all four days and finished at 3- under 285, five behind Ronneblad.

Tying for fourth place were Quinn Vilneff, a Canadian golfer who formerly played for the University of Evansville, and Florida State junior Cristobal del Solar, who came in at 2- under 286.