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Braden Thornberry goes wire-to-wire at Jones Cup Invitational
05 Feb 2017
by Sam Dostaler of AmateurGolf.com

see also: View results for Jones Cup, Ocean Forest Golf Club, Braden Thornberry Rankings

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Braden Thornberry holds the Jones Cup Invitational trophy <br>(Jones Cup Invitational Photo)
Braden Thornberry holds the Jones Cup Invitational trophy
(Jones Cup Invitational Photo)

SEA ISLAND, GA (February 5, 2017) -- It was Braden Thornberry's week from beginning to end. The Ole Miss sophomore shot a first round 5-under 67 on Thursday to take the lead and he never looked back on his way to winning the 12th Jones Cup Invitational.

"I'd put this win right at the top for sure," Thornberry, who earned a spot into the PGA Tour's 2017 RSM Classic with the victory, said. "I've won some college tournaments and the Patriot All-America (in 2015) but this is right at the top."

Heading into the final round at the Rees Jones designed Ocean Forest Golf Club round Thornberry held a six-stroke advantage and with nobody able to mount a charge the Olive Branch, MS native was able to ease his way into the winners circle. Thornberry, 4-under for the week, was the only player to end the tourament under-par, as he finished five-strokes in front of Oklahoma senior Max McGreevy.

"The key for me was not really making mistakes," Thornberry explained. "I didn’t necessarily have my best tee to green game but I was able to miss in the right spot and that is always key."

Beginning Sunday 5-under, Thornberry sent an early message to the field with two birdies in his first three holes to reach 7-under and widen his advantage.

"Getting off to a strong start was really good," Thornberry said. "This was the first time in a while that I have been nervous at the start of the round and those birdies really settled me down."

However, despite the large lead the final round wasn't without its hardships (two bogeys and a double-bogey) but Thornberry never saw another player in the field get lower than even-par.

For Thornberry, a three-time winner in the fall, the tournament was truly won on Saturday during the second round.

"The second round was the most important round of the tournament. I just tired to miss in the right spots and if I got in trouble limit it to bogey. At the same time if you hit it good you could make some birdies," said Thornberry.

With the winds blowing consistently in the teens, gusts reaching 30-40 mph and temperatures struggling to reach 50 degrees Thornberry tied the round of the day with an even-par 72 and as others struggled he watched his lead grow from two shots to six.

Max McGreevy concluded his week with a 2-under 70 to follow up rounds of 72-75 and post his 1-over runner-up position, junior star Cole Hammer was third at 2-over while Vanderbilt's Matthias Schwab, Northwestern's Dylan Wu and Clemson's Bryson Nimmer shared fourth at 3-over.

Results: Jones Cup
1MSBraden ThornberryOlive Branch, MS120067-72-73=212
2OKMax McGreevyEdmond, OK90072-75-70=217
3TXCole HammerHouston, TX70072-75-71=218
T4AustriaMatthias SchwabAustria70072-73-74=219
T4ORDylan WuMedford, OR70071-78-70=219

View full results for Jones Cup

ABOUT THE Jones Cup

The Jones Cup is probably the biggest of the springtime amateur majors in the United States, and the reason is the venue and the strong U.S. and international field. The past champions list is littered with PGA Tour stars, including Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Luke List, Kyle Stanley, Beau Hossler and several others.

This 54-hole individual stroke-play event, inaugurated in 2001, is played at Ocean Forest Golf Club. The Rees Jones design opened in 1995 and has hosted the Georgia State Amateur Championship, the Southern Amateur Championship and the 2001 Walker Cup Match. The Jones Cup brings together many of the finest amateurs from the United States and abroad for a three-day competition.

The Jones Cup was born from a deep commitment to amateur golf by the A.W. Jones family, who founded the Cloister and Sea Island Golf Club in 1928. The Sea Island Golf Club has played host to seven USGA championships. The Jones Cup is yet another extension of the family's strong involvement in amateur golf.

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