Troy’s Jared Bettcher holds on for victory at Southeastern Amateur

A round that had started with such promise threatened to slip away for Jared Bettcher.

But the Auburn High product and Troy University rising senior held it together and went on to win the 87th annual Southeastern Amateur on Saturday at the Country Club of Columbus.

“It’s amazing,” Bettcher said. “It is something I haven’t felt in a very long time. It is my first big amateur event win.

“It is one of the greatest feelings ever.”

Bettcher shot a 2-under-par 68 Saturday to finish at 7-under 273. Benjamin Shipp and David Snyder finished tied for second, three shots back.

Bettcher, who was the runner-up in last year’s Southeastern Amateur, started the final round Saturday with a one-shot lead over Ashton Poole.

Bettcher hit his opening tee shot into the left rough about 240 yards away from the green on the par 5. He hit a 5-iron to within three feet for a tap-in eagle. Poole made a bogey and suddenly the lead was four shots.

“That eagle to start the day was amazing,” Bettcher said. “That was the most relaxed comfort I could have felt coming off that green.

“That was my best shot of the tournament.”

Bettcher added a birdie on the par-5 fourth to get to 8-under for the tournament. At that point, it looked like he might run away from the field.

But he hit a poor chip shot on the fifth that led to a bogey. Then pushed his approach shot on the sixth into the bunker to the right of the green. With the bunkers extra soft after a heavy rain Friday night, the ball plugged.

Bettcher called it, “one of the worst lies I’ve seen. I just tried to hack it out, and it came out hot.”

The ball ran 25 feet past the hole and off the green. A chip and two putts later left Bettcher with a double bogey, wiping out the good start.

But he rebounded with a birdie on 7.

“The key was staying calm after No. 6,” Bettcher said. “After that hole, it could have easily gotten away from me. … That was a turning point.”

Shipp, a Greater Atlanta Christian product who signed to play at North Carolina State in the fall, had the best round of the day, a 4-under 66. Shipp was a co-leader after the second round, but a 74 on Friday hurt his chances.

Snyder, who just finished his final season at Kentucky, shot a 67 on Saturday.

Stanton Schorr (Columbus High) finished with the low score for golfers with local ties. Schorr finished tied for fifth at even par after a 68.

Grant Hirschman, who won the tournament the last two years, finished tied for 10th at 1-over.

Notes: Other players with local ties were James Clark (Brookstone, 17th, 3-over), Ben Carr (Columbus High, tie-18th, 4-over), Charlie Flowers (Columbus High, t-49th, 11-over), Gideon van der Vyver (Columbus State, t-49th, 11-over), TaeHyung Kim (Columbus State, t-54th, 12-over).

This story was originally published June 18, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Troy’s Jared Bettcher holds on for victory at Southeastern Amateur."