EAGLE, Idaho – On a blistering hot Monday at BanBury Golf Club Colby Dean once again found himself in contention to achieve one of amateur golf’s greatest accomplishments. Dean was 3 shots behind the leader after the first round, but a second round including two eagles and five birdies catapulted Dean into the lead. A 36-hole total of 133, 69-64 (-9) gave the 2018 State Amateur Champion the lone qualifying spot for the U.S. Amateur, held at iconic Pebble Beach this August.
The first highlight of Dean’s final round occurred on hole #12. Two long irons set up a short approach shot into the par-5. His wedge shot from 105 yards out landed 10 feet behind the hole and spun back into the center of the cup for eagle.
The next highlight came on the final hole of the tournament. Dean hit a crisp iron shot into the short par-5 and left himself with a 10-foot eagle putt. He would go on to sink that putt and celebrated with a fist pump. After the round Dean said he knew making that putt would be the difference maker.
In similar fashion to last month’s State Am, it was Hunter Ostrom and Dean battling for first place, although the two were not paired together for this qualifier.
Notre Dame’s Ostrom (2 shots back after 18) and round one leader Connor Johnstone of Boise State still topped the leaderboard after 27 holes of play. The familiar foes went toe-to-toe in the pairing right behind Dean.
Johnstone and Ostrom exchanged birdies throughout the final round. Two shots right next to the hole on the par-3 16th hole and subsequent birdie putts summarized the way these two rivaled each other. Ostrom’s relatively mistake free final round 66 was good enough to earn him the first alternate spot. A couple of mistakes off the tee for Johnstone set him back a little, but a solid final round 69 was good enough for third.
View full results here.
If history is any indication, there is a good chance that Ostrom could make it into the field at the U.S. Amateur as an alternate. Dean says he’s excited to play Pebble Beach for the first time in such a prestigious tournament. He’s also looking forward to spending the week with a former college teammate from Chico State who qualified earlier this week.
This year’s U.S. Amateur will be held August 13-19. Two round of stroke play will be followed by match play. Match play will be broadcast on FS1.