(Editor’s note: AmateurGolf.com and Golfweek have teamed up to cover the amateur game from top to bottom. Read AmateurGolf.com’s full final-round Jones Cup report here.)
Palmer Jackson will always remember his final round in the 2022 Jones Cup Invitational.
For starters, it finished off the biggest victory to this point in his young career. But also, he had to battle the toughest playing conditions he had ever faced over 18 holes before he could hoist the champion’s trophy in the prestigious tournament held at Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Ga.
“That was the most difficult tournament round I’ve ever had to play,” said Jackson, a junior standout at Notre Dame. “I think I have faced similar conditions to that before, but not on a golf course where you’ve got to hit it straight on every hole. And, when the wind picked up out here out by the coast, it was a true challenge. Just making par felt like birdie on a lot of holes. That’s fun to do, but not when you’re in the lead. So, I’m happy I got it in.”
Jackson led from wire to wire in the 18th edition of the tournament played near the shores of the ocean on the Georgia coast. He closed the tournament Sunday with a 4-over-par 76 score which allowed him to finish the 54-hole tournament at 5-under 211 and post a three-shot win.
Jackson’s final-round score was obviously his highest of the weekend, but it was still pretty impressive considering the severe conditions the players faced Sunday with temperatures remaining in the low- to-mid 40s and strong winds blowing 25 mph throughout the round with gusts coming in harder than that especially on the holes nearest the sandy shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
“It’s really just a mental challenge, fighting through the wind,” Jackson said. “It takes a lot out of your body, too. It feels like you’re playing 36 holes when you’re only playing 18. Out here, you have to be so focused already, and with that much wind, your focus has to intensify. That’s what is most difficult, but it’s really rewarding to have it pay off.”
It took nearly six hours for the players to finish their rounds Sunday with players teeing off in threesomes on both sides of the 7,308-yard course which played even longer in Sunday’s brutal wind.
When all the scores had been counted, only two players were below par for the tournament which featured 84 of the best amateur golfers across the globe.
One of those players was Jackson, of course, and the other was Logan McAllister who plays at Oklahoma. The senior All-American for the Sooners carded an 1-under 71 in the closing round to grab the runner-up position on the final leaderboard with a 2-under score over the three days.
Jackson and McAllister were two of only four players who were able to finish under par in two of the three rounds as well. Jackson opened with a 66 on Friday to take a one-shot lead into round two when he shot a 69 while stretching his lead to five strokes going into Sunday’s finish.
McAllister started out with a 73 on Friday before shooting 70 and 71 the last two days. His 1-under score on Sunday was the lowest by any player in the field.
The other two golfers scoring in red numbers twice were Pietro Bovari and Caleb Surratt who ended up tying for 16th overall with a large group of players. Bovari shot a 71 on Sunday to equal the best score of the final round. He shot 70 on Friday, but the University of Virginia player was hurt by his 82 on Saturday which cost him a much better finish.
Meantime, Surratt who played with Jackson in the final pairing, was third going into the final 18 after posting 70 and 71 over the first two days before the University of Tennessee standout’s closing 82 sent him backward on the leaderboard.
Actually, on Sunday, no one shot a round of par. The next best score to the 71s posted by McAllister and Bovari was a 73 by five different players. One of those was Reid Davenport of defending Southeastern Conference champion Vanderbilt who ended up finishing in a six-way tie for seventh at 4-over for the three rounds.
Virginia’s Ben James took solo third at 1-over for the championship. He opened with a 69 Friday before playing the final two rounds 4-over. He was one of the players with a 73 on Sunday.
Two players – Nick Gabrelcik of North Florida and Kelly Chinn from Duke – shared fourth at 2-over for the tournament.
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Wake Forest’s Michael Brennan, who was second behind Jackson after each of the first two rounds, settled for a 79 in the final round while playing in the last group and wound up solo sixth at 3-over.
Jackson, who won two times last year, also earned an invitation to the RSM Classic this coming November with his win this week. The PGA Tour event is hosted by the Davis Love Foundation and is played at Sea Island Golf Club.
“That was definitely on my mind today, a little extra motivation,” Jackson said of the RSM invite. “I was happy I was able to control my emotions enough to succeed. I’ve never played in a PGA Tour event, so this will be new ground for me, but definitely something I’m looking forward to.”
He maintained the lead throughout the final round and his spot atop the leaderboard was never really threatened. Jackson said he felt like his swing was as good Sunday as it was the two previous days, but like everyone, he wasn’t immune to the tough conditions.
Jackson made a bogey on the par-4 first but rebounded to par the remaining eight holes on the outward nine to drop only one shot. He also made bogey on the par-5 10th which played into the wind and also made bogeys on the par-4 16th and par-3 17th which played into the teeth of the wind off the ocean.
“I did feel like my game was as good,” he said. “I had to hit certain shots I didn’t want to hit because of the situation I was in.
“I had enough trust in myself that I knew if I made a mistake that I could get it back if I needed to. I played a little bit conservative on some holes today just to avoid a big number, but throughout the day, I tried to focus on myself and make myself as comfortable as I could. That was my goal.”
And of course, he wanted to win one for ole Notre Dame, too. After all, inscribed on one of his headcovers was “God. Country and Notre Dame.”
Jackson joins an impressive list of champions in the Jones Cup that includes current PGA Tour stars and major winners Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed and several others who have gone on to play in the professional ranks.
“There are so many great players here, so many great players that have won this event before,” Jackson said. “To have my name among theirs is a true honor. This is a top-tier event, one of the best I have ever played, and to be champion is something I’ll never forget.”
Find more coverage of amateur golf, including player profiles and rankings, at AmateurGolf.com.
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