Rock-steady Jansen Preston wins the Magnolia Amateur
Jansen Preston (Magnolia Amateur)
Sometimes all you need are pars.
Vanderbilt’s Jansen Preston did just that through 18 holes at the 9th annual Magnolia Amateur.
As the overnight leader by a stroke, Preston kept his scorecard clean with 14 pars and balanced his two back-nine bogeys with birdies on Nos. 13 and 17. Needing just one more birdie somewhere in his round, Preston walked off the 18th green at 8-under only to find himself in a three-way sudden-death playoff.
UC Davis’ Lucas Carper jumped six spots on Sunday with a final round 66, including three birdies on the back nine to sneak his way into the playoff with Preston alongside day one leader and Mississippi State Bulldog, Benjamin Nelson who posted a final round 69.
Heading back to the 18th tee, all three players found the fairway and stuck their approaches inside 20-feet on the par-4. The only one to capitalize on his approach, Preston drained an 8-footer for just his third birdie on the day and the win.
This year marks the first time a playoff has been necessary to crown a champion in the nine-year history at the Magnolia Amateur.
Taking home individual honors, Preston also grabbed the ‘team’ title. The Magnolia crowns the lowest two collegiate teammates as a team champion, separate from the individual and mid-am championships. Splitting the honor was Vanderbilt’s Preston and Reid Davenport and Mississippi State’s Cameron Clarke and Nelson who’s combined scores equaled 14-under (199).
ABOUT THE
The Magnolia
The Magnolia Amateur is a limited field event of
156 players consisting of a collegiate division and
a mid-amateur division. The field will be cut to
the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes of
competition has been completed. The overall
champion may come from either division, with the
competition taking place over 3 days and 54
holes.
Along with the individual tournament, there is a
college team competition that will be based on
the combined scores of two players on the same
team over the 3 rounds.
It is an exclusive amateur tournament, where
players are reviewed and accepted by the
Tournament Committee.
View Complete Tournament Information