Ethan Whitaker of Knoxville, TN, captured the 54-hole Southeastern Amateur with a closing 67 to finish at 13-under 197, one stroke ahead of Jacksonville State golfer Ryley Heath (Decatur, AL).
The pair entered the final round very close - Whitaker holding a one-shot lead after opening 65-65 to Heath's 65-66 rounds. Whitaker posted a steady 34-33 to card his 67, while Heath stumbled late—his birdie on the eighth gave him a front-nine 32 and a one-shot lead, which he increased to two with a birdie at No. 10.
Whitaker bounced back with a birdie of his own on No. 11, but a late Whitaker bogey on 15 and matching pars by the duo left little hope for Whitaker standing on the 18th tee, unless, of course, he could pull off a birdie and hope for a little help from his opponent.
That's exactly what happened. While we can't report exactly what went wrong for Heath on the final hole, we can say for sure that even with the double bogey, if Whitaker hadn't birdied, the pair would have headed for sudden-death. The UT Chattanooga golfer grabbed control of the tournament -- in amateur golf, three-shot swings happen.
Henry Robards (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) took third at 10-under 200, while Bear Dollander and John Wild tied for fourth at 9-under 201.
