Stewart Hagestad
(MGA Photo)
AUGUSTA, GA (April 9, 2017) - The remarkable
week at the Masters has come to a close for
Stewart
Hagestad but when he heads home he will be
taking
with him the Silver Cup.
"It is such a blessing to be able to represent
amateurs around the country and to be sitting
here
with such a worthy champion and last years
champions and yourselves is an absolute dream
come true," Hagestad said during the award
ceremony in Butler Cabin.
Hagestad, who will turn 26-years-old on Monday,
turned in a final round 1-over 73 at Augusta
National Club to finish the week 6-over and three
shots in front of Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com No.
1
Curtis Luck. When Hagestad made the cut on
Friday
he became the first U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
to
reach the weekend since the invitation was first
extended in 1989 and now he is the first to earn
low
amateur honors.
"I played within myself," continued Hagestad. "I
made very committed golf swings and I didn't
make
a double all week and I think that was critical.
You
know bogeys won't kill you but doubles will and I
stuck to my game plan and I played well this
week."
On Sunday, once again Hagestad owned the par-
5's.
Coming into the final round Hagestad had played
the
holes in 5-under without a bogey and on Sunday
he
picked up three more birdies on the par-5's to
play
them in 8-under for the tournament.
During the final round Hagestad birdied the par-
5
2nd, 8th and 13th holes while also carding
birdies on
Nos. 10 and 14. Hagestad, 1-under on the
homeward nine, nearly rolled in one more birdie
on
the 18th but the putt fell one turn short.
"Obviously I'll have to think about a lot of things
after this week but I have no plans to turn pro,"
Hagestad a financial analyst in New York City
said.
"To test my game against the worlds best like
the
two sitting beside me [Sergio Garcia and Danny
Willet], that was the goal this week and I know
where I stand and these guys are awfully good
so I
think I will continue doing what I am doing. It
was
an absolute dream come true this week."
Curtis Luck may not have finished as the low
amateur but the native of Australia closed strong
with an even-par 72, the second level par round
of
his week.
Luck, who finished the week 9-over, started
bogey-
bogey but it was his stretch of golf on the back
nine
that will turn some heads. 3-over for his round
after
bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11, Luck birdied the next
four holes to move to 1-under for the day.
Up next for Luck is the professional ranks, the
worlds top-ranked amateur will make his
professional debut later in the month at the
Valero
Texas Open.
Of Note: With his playoff win on Sunday
Sergio Garcia became the fifth player to win the
Masters and low amateur honors.
ABOUT THE
The Masters
One of Golf's four professional majors
traditionally invites amateurs who have reached
the
finals of the US Amateur, or won the British
Amateur
or
the US Mid Amateur. Also included are
the winners of the relatively new Asia Pacific
Amateur
and Latin American Amateur.
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