Hank Shaheen wins LGA Mid-Amateur
Championship
The final round of the 27th LGA Mid-Amateur
Championship at Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club
was full of drama. Brandon Aydlett of Metairie, James
Fuselier of Laplace, and Hank Shaheen of Dequincy
all finished the Championship tied for first at eight-
under par 208 through 54 holes and had to compete
in a sudden death playoff to determine a winner. The
playoff commenced on the picturesque par 4 18th (430
yards). Shaheen had the best opportunity to close out the
Championship with a four-foot birdie putt, but it burned
the edge, and he settled for par. Aydlett also made par,
while Fuselier narrowly missed his par putt and was
eliminated. Aydlett and Shaheen would both make par
the next two times they played the 18th hole. Before they
were able to tee it up for a fourth time, a strong storm
blew through Broussard, and play was suspended at
3:54 PM due to a dangerous situation. Although the Le
Triomphe course drains exceptionally well, the 18th hole
was not playable immediately after the storm passed. The
Committee determined that the par 3 8th hole would be
the setting for the playoff when play resumed at 5:00 PM.
The 8th hole was playing 158 yards on Sunday, and
the hole location was cut on the right side of the green,
making the tee shot all carry over a water hazard. Aydlett
was first to play, and hit his tee shot off the edge of the
bulkhead and into the water. Shaheen took the water out
of play but launched his tee shot over the green to the
left. Aydlett advanced to the drop zone and hit his third
shot to within 12 feet of the hole. Shaheen gingerly hit
his chip shot, and it stopped just beyond the ridge in the
middle of the green but still 20 feet short of the hole.
Shaheen missed his par putt, and Aydlett had a chance to
extend the playoff, but he missed his bogey putt to the left
and had to tap in for a double-bogey 5. Shaheen made his
bogey putt to win and clinch his first LGA Mid-Amateur
Championship.
This victory is especially sweet for Shaheen who
finished third in this event last year. Shaheen shot rounds
of 71-72-65 to finish at 8-under par and 208 total. His
stellar final round 65 included two eagles at the par 5 1st
(555 yards) and the par 5 14th (513 yards), and he shot a
31 on his last nine holes.
Other under par rounds on Sunday were shot by:
Aydlett (69/208), Fuselier (68/208), Andrew Noto of
Metairie (70/213), Frank Briseno of Harahan (71/214),
2009 LGA Mid-Amateur Champion Matt Nicholas of
Lake Charles (69/214), Buck Williams of New Orleans
(71/215), Felipe Del Solar of St. Francisville (71/218),
Jacob Broussard of Lafayette (71/219), Jeremy Gautreaux
of Prairieville (70/221), Neithan Allen of Lake Charles
(71/222), and Clinton Shephard of Maurice (71/225).
Scoring conditions were ideal on Sunday. The Robert
Trent Jones, Jr. designed Le Triomphe course played firm
and fast to a par of 72 at 6,837 yards.