Tag: Preston Summerhays

Preston Summerhays grabs Junior Players Championship lead at TPC Sawgrass

The Summer of Summerhays continues as Preston Summerhays leads the Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass entering the final round.

Preston Summerhays of Scottsdale, Arizona played his last 10 holes at 4-under with no bogeys to card a 68 on Saturday at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, taking a one-shot lead into the final round of the AJGA Junior Players Championship.

Summerhays birdied Nos. 9 and 10 (the latter with an 80-foot putt), then added back-to-back birdies at Nos. 15 and 16 to finish at 6-under-par 138. Caleb Surratt (69) of Indian Trail, North Carolina, and William Love (68) of Atlanta are tied for second at 5-under.

Another shot behind are Zach Kingsland (71) of Austin, Texas, Brendan Valdes (69) of Orlando, Florida and Australia’s Karl Villips (69).

Vilips, a Stanford commit, is playing in a record fifth Junior Players, and has never finished outside the top-10.

Junior Players: Leaderboard

Summerhays, who has verbally committed to Arizona State, is the nephew of PGA Tour player Daniel Summerhays and three-time PGA Tour Champions winner Bruce Summerhays. His father, Boyd Summerhays, played at Oklahoma State with Charles Howell III and Bo Van Pelt and is now an instructor.

Preston Summerhays goes low, cruises to Sunnehanna Amateur title

Preston Summerhays improved for a fourth consecutive day, cruising to the Sunnehanna Amateur title.

Preston Summerhays entered the final round of the 67th Sunnehanna Amateur on Friday morning with a one-shot lead and a clear plan: don’t miss long, stay below the hole, attack where you can with a wedge in hand.

“Pars and two-putts are going to be very valuable tomorrow,” Preston said Thursday night.

His 11 pars made during the final round were quite valuable, as were the six birdies. The 2021 Arizona State commit improved yet again for the fourth consecutive day, carding a 5-under 65 to win the title, tying the tournament record at 14 under. Past champions include the likes of Ben Crenshaw, Brad Faxon, Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa.

Sunnehanna Amateur: Leaderboard
More: Georgia Tech’s Connor Howe wins Southeastern Amateur

Summerhays would have run away with the title had it not been for Texas’ Travis Vick, who signed for an incredible 7-under 63 on Friday to take solo second at 11 under. LSU’s Trey Winstead finished third at 10 under, followed by Quade Cummins (Oklahoma), Connor Schmidt (Drexel) and Brandon Mancheno (Auburn) all T-4 at 9 under.

Instead of defending his U.S. Junior Amateur title – this year’s event was scheduled for July 20-25 at Hazeltine before being canceled – Summerhays added another major amateur championship to his name, but his summer is just starting to heat up.

The kid known as “Ruthless P” for his attitude on the course now goes straight to the Western Amateur at Crooked Stick (July 27-Aug. 1), followed by five much-deserved days off. From there it’s on to the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes (Aug. 10-16) and the the U.S. Open at Winged Foot (Sept. 17-20).

After his uncle Daniel’s impressive performance in his professional golf swan song and father Boyd’s immediate impact on the bag for Tony Finau, the “Summer of Summerhays” keeps on rolling.

Measured approach leads Preston Summerhays to top of Sunnehanna Amateur leaderboard

A measured approach has led Preston Summerhays to the top of Sunnehanna Amateur leaderboard entering Friday’s final round.

The summer of Summerhays is continuing this week, not only at the PGA Tour’s stop in Minnesota at the 3M Open, but also in Pennsylvania at the Sunnehanna Amateur, one of golf’s premier amateur events.

After Tony Finau parted ways with his caddie, his coach Boyd Summerhays jumped on the bag and the two worked together for a 6-under 65 during the opening round at TPC Twin Cities. While that was happening, Boyd’s son, Preston, a rising star in the amateur golf world and reigning U.S. Junior champion, was working his way around Sunnehanna Country Club and now sits alone atop the leaderboard entering Friday’s final round.

“I was easing my way in, trying to play smart golf and pick apart the course where I can, try to attack when I get some wedges in my hand, but mostly play safe and try to make a lot of pars,” Preston said of his first-round strategy. “The second day I got hot with the putter on the back nine, then today I stacked in a couple wedges and long irons and I made a big putt to shoot the 4 under.”

Sunnehanna Amateur: Leaderboard

The 2021 Arizona State commit has been able to improve each day with rounds of 68, 67 and now 66, but knows he needs to improve in order to bring home the title. He left himself some “sketchy putts” that didn’t bode well for Sunnehanna’s “really sloped” greens on Thursday.

“Pars and two-putts are going to be very valuable tomorrow,” said Preston.

He would know. Making his debut at the event last year, Preston didn’t make the cut before the final round. Last year, he remembers six or maybe even eight three-putts. Over the last three days, he’s three-putted just once.

“Shaving shots that way has helped a lot this week,” he added.

No kidding.

That same measured approach to the game will be key for Preston not only in Friday’s final round, but for the rest of his summer.

After the Sunnehanna, Preston goes straight to the Western Amateur at Crooked Stick (July 27-Aug. 1), followed by five days off. From there it’s the the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes (Aug. 10-16). Then the U.S. Open at Winged Foot (Sept. 17-20).

The kid they call “Ruthless P” for his attitude on the course has the schedule to back the name. Another major amateur win will prove he’s got the game, too.