Whitehead Captures South Texas Amateur Title
8/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Aug. 9, 2009
Rice University golfer Michael Whitehead separated himself from the field on Sunday and captured the Texas Golf Association's South Amateur Championship played at Blackhorse Golf Course in Cypress. It was the second time in three years Whitehead won the tournament championship.
Sunday, he entered the day in a three-way tie for first place at the South Amateur.
Despite multiple suspensions of play for rain and lightning, Whitehead carded the only sub-par round Sunday to win the championship by six strokes. He had a three-round score of 211 (-5).
Whitehead opened play Sunday with birdies on the third, fifth and seventh holes. Despite a bogey and double bogey on the back nine, he shot a two-under par 70 to conclude tournament play. He wrapped up the tournament with a birdie on the Par 5, 18th hole.
Whitehead had solid finishes for all three rounds. He played the final four holes at five-under par, and six of his 15 birdies during the tournament came on the final four holes.
After opening the tournament with a 67 on Friday, Whitehead came back from a slow second-round start to share the lead after 36 holes. He birdied three of the final four holes but a bogey on No. 18 was the difference between sharing the lead and holding a one-stroke advantage over the field heading into the final round.
Whitehead shared the second-round lead with Kip Guidry of Missouri City and Katy's David Pocknall. Guidry was the tournament runner-up with a three-round score of 217 (+4).
The tournament was open to golfers who reside in South Texas, according to the Texas Golf Association's boundaries and was limited to an 84-golfer field. Whitehead won the 2007 championship played at the Magnolia Creek Golf Club in League City.
Whitehead, a Sugar Land native, begins his junior year at Rice.
Players Mentioned
