Hopoi Overcomes Early Stumble, Wins Memorial Amateur

CARMICHAEL, CA (May 28, 2018) - Donny Hopoi (Aiea, HI) won his first tournament as a former college golfer on Monday, capturing the Memorial Amateur by four shots at Ancil Hoffman Golf Course. Hopoi, who just completed his college career at Boise State, started the final round two shots ahead after rounds of 69 and 67 put him at 8 under par. Logan Lowe, a rising senior at George Washington University, and Thomas Hutchison, a rising sophomore at UC Davis, shared second at 6 under. 10 players were within four shots of Hopoi's lead, putting the onus on the leader to shoot another low round to stay ahead of the chasers. Hopoi got the start he was looking for, making two birdies on his first three holes to get to 10 under. Then, completely unexpectedly given his exceptional putting to that point, he four-putted his fourth hole (the nines were reversed for this tournament) to fall to 7 under and into a tie with Lowe. But Hopoi was able to regain his composure and steadily pull away, picking up five more shots to par and finishing with a 68 and a 12-under 204 total. It was an impressive performance given that there were only four scores in the 60s on the final day, and none below Hopoi's 68. Mikey Slesinski, a rising St. Mary's redshirt sophomore, shot a 68 of his own to finish solo second at 8 under, with Lowe (71) third at 7 under. Hutchison shot a 72 to finish alone in fourth at 6 under. Four players tied for fifth at 5-under 211, including the defending champion Alex Lee, who closed with a 69. The 2015 champion and University of Alabama rising junior Josh Sedeno (72), UCLA commit Ahmed Ali (72) and Cal rising senior Ben Doyle rounded out the group. Hopoi recently finished his college career at Boise State after starting at Dixie State and transferring. He was the Mountain West Conference runner-up in 2017 before winning his first college tournament at the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate last September. He finished his senior season with a 72.58 scoring average. Once again the Memorial Amateur Championship was played to honor Memorial Day and its cherished place as a national holiday. The sacrifices made by the men and women of our armed forces and by those in public service should never be understated or forgotten. To those that have paid the ultimate price in defense of this great nation, we honor and cherish their memories.