John Marshall Butler (Troon Saguaro Amateur Series)
Incoming Auburn freshman John Marshall Butler was on fire at the 2020 Sizzler.
Coming out of the gates strong, Butler opened up with an 8-under 64, good for the tournament-low and a two-shot lead heading into the second round. Following the stellar performance with a 67 on Tuesday, Butler held a three-shot lead over Oklahoma State freshman Hazen Newman heading into Wednesday’s final round.
With Newman falling to the wayside on the final day, Oregon State rising sophomore Jackson Lake gave Butler a run for his money. Trailing by six shots through 36-holes, Lake ran the table and jumped up the leaderboard on Wednesday with a bogey-free final round 66. With Butler posting a 69, Lake was not able to catch the record-setting pace set by Butler.
With a total of 200, Butler set the new tournament scoring record for the Sizzler, which is in its fourth year.
“I think the key this week for me was keeping the ball in the fairway,” Butler told the Troon Saguaro Amateur Series. “If you miss fairways out here, you can shoot a high number. I had a very good low cut shot off the tee this week which allowed me to hit driver down the middle.”
Even as he sputtered down the stretch, Butler was still confident enough in his game to scrape together two birdies to negate a double-bogey he carded on No. 12.
“My wedge game was solid and although I missed some putts, I gave myself a lot of opportunities,” said Butler. “I grinded it out on the last 9 holes when it seemed my swing had left me.”
This marks the second time in just under a month that Butler has won a fairly prestigious event against a stacked field. In May, Butler took home the crown at The Dye at Crooked Stick against a field of some of the nation’s elite juniors.
Piggybacking off the win at Crooked Stick to pick up a win at Troon North, Butler says that the win will “upstart” his amateur career.
ABOUT THE
The Sizzler
First played in 2017. Open to male amateur
golfers who with a handicap of 3.0 or less, with
several categories of exemptions based on
performance in college and amateur events. Format
is 54-holes of stroke play with no cut
The Sizzler is a partner tournament to the
Southwestern Amateur.
Players are encouraged to play in both events.
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