newsspin
DEREK BUSBY WINS 98TH LOUISIANA GOLF ASSOCIATION AMATEUR
Derek Busby of Ruston fired a final round 66 to win the 2017 LGA Amateur Championship at The Country Club of Louisiana by four strokes over Trey Winstead of Baton Rouge . Busby saved his best for last and finished his stellar week in style . His final round 66 was tied for the low round of the tournament and included one eagle , six birdies , eight pars and three bogeys .
Busby ’ s 72 hole total of 12-under par 272 was comprised of rounds of 69-70-67-66 . Busby is a former collegiate golfer at Louisiana Tech and is a member at Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant . This is the first time he ’ s been able to claim the state ’ s most prestigious Amateur golf championship , but the way that Busby is playing makes one think there will be a few more in his future .
Busby started his final round at 7-under par for the Championship and teed off at 9 a . m . He was paired with Winstead who was one shot back and third place finisher Jacob Bergeron of Slidell who started the day three strokes off the lead .
Busby played a solid and consistent front nine . He settled into a groove from the start , making par on the first two holes . Busby then stepped onto the tee box at the par 3 3rd hole ( 220 yards ) and hit an incredible tee shot to 5 feet and drained the putt for birdie .
According to Busby , his putting was the difference this week . He made a par at the par 4 4th hole , then he added his second birdie of the day at the par 5 5th hole . Busby made a par on the next four holes and made the turn at two-under par 33 .
The back nine was where Busby turned up the heat on his fellow competitors . He made a three on the first three holes to start his back nine . The 10th hole is a par 4 ( 398 yards ), the 11th hole is a par 5 ( 510 yards ), and the 12th hole is a par 4 ( 450 yards ). Busby ’ s birdie-eaglebirdie stretch gave him a 5 shot lead over Winstead , who was one-under for the round at the time , when they stepped on the 13th tee .
Busby ’ s final six holes were somewhat of a roller coaster , but his lead was enough that he could safely get away with it . Busby made three bogeys (# 13 , 15 , & 17 ), one par (# 14 ), and two birdies (# 16 & # 18 ).
Sunday notes : Play was suspended for a dangerous situation ( lightning ) at 12:20 p . m . and resumed after one hour at 1:20 p . m .. The 2nd hole again played as a par 4 on Sunday ( 450 yards ) after having played as a par 5 for the first two rounds . The 11th hole was a par 5 on Sunday ( 510 yards ) after having played as a par 4 for the first two rounds .
There were a total of five scores under par on Sunday , and three competitors finished the Championship under par . Other under par scores on Sunday not mentioned above were shot by : Winstead ( 69 ), Bergeron ( 70 ), 2016 LGA Amateur Champion James Anstiss of Hammond ( 69 ), and CCLA Member BJ Rogillio of Baton Rouge ( 69 ). Nicholas Arcement from Thibodaux finished the Championship at even par 284 . Below are the top 10 :
This is the third time that The Country Club of Louisiana has hosted the LGA Amateur Championship ( 1999 & 2006 previously ), and it was a tremendous success , according to LGA staff . Staff members relayed that the grounds crew , led by Superintendent Ed Pippin , did a wonderful job getting the golf course in championship condition despite heavy rains that hit the Baton Rouge area for 10 straight days prior to the beginning of the Championship .
The Jack Nicklaus designed course drew rave reviews from this field of the top amateur golfers in the state . The course played to a par of 71 at approximately 6,872 yards on Sunday . The course and slope rating of the set of tees that the LGA Amateur Championship competitors played was 73.4 / 136 .
The 2018 LGA Amateur Championship will be conducted at Oakbourne Country Club in Lafayette . Submitted by the Louisiana Golf Association
26