Jackson Van Paris finishes 15-under at Puerto Rico Open
10 Mar 2024
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Jackson Van Paris Rankings
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Jackson Van Paris (Photo by John Patota)
Jackson Van Paris saved his best for last at the Puerto Rico Open.
The Vanderbilt junior shot a flawless 8-under 64 to propel into the top 10 in his PGA Tour debut. He finished T10 in the field.
Van Paris shot rounds of 70-70-69-64 to finish 15-under and is in the clubhouse in the top five as the leaders tee off. In the final round, he recorded six birdies and an eagle with no bogeys. He birdied Holes No. 15, 17, and 18 to finish his Tour debut strong.
It has been a gutsy tournament for Van Paris, as he made the cut on the number but had to come out and finish his second round Saturday morning, and he made three pars to make the cut. He is currently ranked No. 30 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com U.S. Rankings.
He earned a sponsor exemption into the Puerto Rico Open by finishing third in the Elite Amateur Series. Nick Dunlap and Kazuma Kobori also earned exemptions from the Elite Amateur Series, but they have both since turned professional.
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Van Paris holds the scoring record at Pinehurst No. 4 with a 9-under 61 in the opening round of the 2023 North and South Amateur. He went on to win medalist honors and advance to the semifinals. At the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach in 2018, when he was 14, he became the youngest player since Bob Jones in 1916 to win a match.
Also playing in the Puerto Rico Open is San Diego State junior Justin Hastings, who finished 3-under and missed the cut by one shot.
David Ford of North Carolina played in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Ford shot a first-round 1-under 71, but a second-round 11-over 83 forced him to miss the cut. Ford received a sponsor exemption into the event through the Palmer Cup. Each year, one golfer is selected by his peers to play in the API, and Ford was selected in 2024.
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