Wheaton, Ill. — Colt Knost, 22, of Dallas, Texas, won the first three holes and never looked back in posting a 6-and-4 victory on Saturday over 18-year-old Cody Paladino of Kensington, Conn., in the championship match of the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Cantigny Golf.
Knost, a recent graduate of Southern Methodist University where he earned third-team All-America honors this past season, played the equivalent of 6-under-par golf – with the usual match-play concessions – over the 32 holes of the scheduled 36-hole final. In six matches, Knost registered just seven bogeys and over the final two days of the competition, a total of 66 holes, he was the equivalent of 13 under par.
The win gave Knost exemptions into the 2007 and ’08 U.S. Amateur and a likely invitation to the 2008 Masters Tournament provided he remains an amateur.
USGA Publinx: Title goes to 22-year-old Texan Knost
Colt Knost of Dallas, TX wins the first three holes vs. Cody Paladino of Connecticut and the overall title by a 6 & 4 margin