Thunderbolt Invitational: Cooper Jones registers wire-to-wire win
Cooper Jones (Thunderbolt Invitational Photo)
Brigham Young University freshman Cooper Jones from Highland, Ut., shot 16-under with his rounds of 66-66-68 to register a wire-to-wire win at the Thunderbolt Invitational by three shots at Sterling Grove Country Club in Surprise, Ariz.
Jones entered the final round with a commanding two-shot lead, having posted consecutive rounds of 66-66 for a total of 12-under par. Close on his heels was James Imai of Northwestern, who trailed with rounds of 67-67, finishing at 10-under par.
Jones began his final round with a bogey on the first hole but quickly recovered, scoring consecutive birdies on Holes No. 3 and 4. Despite facing another setback with a bogey on No. 8, marking his final bogey of the tournament, he rallied with three more birdies on the back nine, ultimately securing the title.
Jones has competed in three tournaments as a Cougar, with his previous best performance being T30 at the Bearcat Invitational. He also qualified for the U.S. Amateur, where he reached the Round of 16 before exiting the tournament.
Imai gave his best effort to chase Jones, but a final-round score of 3-under 69 only allowed him to maintain his position as the runner-up at 13-under par.
On the final day, Trey Bosco of Baylor University recorded an 8-under 64, equaling the tournament low set earlier by Ryan Voois of Illinois in the second round. Voois concluded with rounds of 71-64-69, securing a T3 position at 12-under, while Bosco posted scores of 73-68-64 to finish solo-sixth at 11-under par.
ABOUT THE The Thunderbolt Invitational
Because of the huge success of the Patriot All-
America Invitational,
which was started in 2011, the organizers decided to
implement a
second tournament to the Patriot lineup named The
Thunderbolt. The
Thunderbolt has been added to accommodate those
players that met
the initial eligibility but did not make it into the
Patriot.
The Thunderbolt consists of players that are:
- ranked 200-400 on the WAGR Rankings;
- PING Second, Third and Honorable Mention All-
Americans from
Divisions II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA;
- AJGA Second Team and Honorable Mention All-
Americans; and
any special Invitations granted.
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