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No Gray Skies For the 88th Amateur Champion

Greer, S.C. - Donned as the largest number to try and qualify for the event, 144 would have a shot at the opportunity to call themselves the 88^th SCGA Amateur Champion but only one would walk away with the Billy Lewis Trophy. The final round of the championship at Thornblade Club in Greer, SC started on time and was completed without delays, which was unusual compared to prior days. Starting the day with the lead, Tyler Gray would begin his trek to the winner’s circle and never look back.

Heading into the back nine, Gray held a one-shot lead over Raymond Wooten (Clemson) and Jake Carter (Aiken), however that lead would quickly increase as Gray would card back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 to increase his lead to four shots. Draining a 12-foot putt for par on the gentle dogleg left par-four 14^th hole, Gray would again increase his lead with a birdie on the par-five 15^th hole and put it in cruise control to victory.

Holding back his emotions in his post-round interview Gray expressed, “a year ago I couldn’t break 80 and here I am today.” When asked about the process to this victory Gray said, “My Coach (Coach Jim Garren – Coastal Carolina University) took me under his wing and kept believing in me and I couldn’t be more grateful to him for taking a chance on me this year.”

In contention throughout the week, Logan Sowell of Kershaw chipped in on the difficult 18^th  for birdie securing his spot as the runner-up for the tournament with a stellar performance. Firing a tournament low the first day of competition, Carter would slide into a solo third-place finish after birdies on 12 and 14, edging Wooten and Christian Salzer (Sumter) who tied for 4^th place overall.

The top 20 and ties will be exempt next year into the 89th Amateur Championship at Columbia Country Club in Blythewood, South Carolina.

For more information about the 88th SCGA Amateur Championship including pairings, detailed scoring, results, and other tournament information – 2019 SCGA Amateur Championship

The 2019 SCGA Amateur Championship was played at Thornblade Club over the par 71 – 6,703 yard Tom Fazio layout. The field consisted of 144 players that were either exempt or qualified at one of four sites. The Amateur Championship is one of 21 Major Championships conducted by the South Carolina Golf Association and is in its 88th year of existence. 

Final Results:

GIFT CERTIFICATES EXPIRE ON 12/31/2019 - CERTIFICATES LEFT IN THE THORNBLADE GOLF SHOP