Wenyi Ding was crowned Champion of the 118th Southern Amateur at Idle Hour Country Club in Lexington, Ky., after posting a final-round score of 6-under 64 and a 72-hole score of 18-under.
Ding is the first amateur golfer from China to win the Southern Amateur Champion title and the fourth international player to have his name engraved on the George W. Adair trophy.
“It was a really good experience this week," said Ding. "I made a lot of friends here and ate a lot of good food. It’s my honor to be a champion for this tournament. I’m feeling great and know I did a great job.”
Ding is currently ranked No. 4 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings. Ding won the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and the 2024 Amer Ari Invitational, where he set a collegiate scoring record with Arizona State.
Quinnton Croker finished in solo second place after carding a final-round score of 3-under 67 and an overall score of 15-under 265. Crocker won the 2024 Australian Men's Amateur.
Lance Simpson, the 2022 Tennessee State Amateur winner, took home bronze, posting 2-under 68 in the final round and a 14-under 266 overall score.
Connor Jones and Parker Bell finished T4 at 13-under to round out the top five.
According to the Southern Golf Association, the field average score in the final round was 68.89, with 13 eagles and 214 birdies posted. 33 players broke par
The 119th Southern Amateur Championship will be held at the Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, Arkansas, from July 16-19, 2025
The Southern Golf Association is one of the oldest—dating back to its Charter in 1902—the largest—serving approximately 500 member clubs over a 14-state area—and the most prestigious golf associations in the world.
The Southern Amateur dates back to 1902, and its Champions Roster is like reading a Who's Who of competitive golf. Leading this group is Robert T. (Bobby) Jones, Jr., who was the Southern Amateur Champion in 1917, 1920, and 1922.
Others who have won or finished in a challenging position and gone on to national and/or international prominence include Tommy Barnes, Dale Morey, Don January, Gay Brewer, Doug Sanders, Billy Joe Patton, Lew Oehmig, Hubert Green, Downing Gray, Marvin (Vinny) Giles, Lanny Wadkins, Steve Melnyk, Tom Kite, John Mahaffey, Ben Crenshaw, Gary Koch, Bill Rogers, Gil Morgan, Danny Edwards, Andy Bean, Vance Haefner, Jerry Pate, Chip Beck, David Edwards, Jay Sigel, Bob Tway, Mark Brooks, Gene Sauers, Davis Love, and more recently, Justin Leonard and Allen Doyle.