Written by Beaux Yenchik, Manager of Media and Communications
MCCALL, Idaho—It was quiet. Almost too quiet. As if uncomfortableness loomed over the group of players and spectators around the 18th tee box. Each was awaiting the outcome of a very competitive final round of golf. If one had listened hard enough, they could have heard a pin drop— cutting through the thickness of silence. With the tournament on the line, this group was all work and no play.
It was an impressive comeback by Jason Azzarito, having claimed the top spot on the podium at last week’s championship event. Being the only player in the entire field to have subpar rounds on all three days, Azzarito shot possibly his best 3-under-par round—finishing with an overall score of 5-under-par 211 to win by a single stroke over the 36-hole leader, Jesse Hibler.
“Gosh, [Jesse], what an amazing player,” Azzarito said. “He’s so solid throughout. I am more proud of beating him than you know anything else… He is a solid golfer all the way throughout. He didn’t give me a lot of opportunities. He didn’t play his best, but I mean, not his best out here is a 74, and that’s a dang good score.”
There they were. Azzarito and Hibler had found themselves tied after 53 holes. The championship had come down to the last hole, which just happened to be the hardest ranked hole of the week—having averaged 1.22 strokes over par.
The threesome had each hit their tee shots. Chris Boquette, who was in third, and Azzarito found the fairway, while Hibler had pulled his tee shot just left into the narrow sliver of rough between the short grass and the penalty area. Boquette put his approach shot pin-high about 15 feet left of the hole. Azzarito then proceeded by pushing his second into the greenside bunker. With the door wide open for Hibler to make a move, he did the one thing you can’t do on No. 18. He hit it long.
Jason Azzarito hits his approach shot on the par-4 18th hole.
Unable to save par, Hibler’s fate now rested in the hands of Azzarito. Needing to get up and down to win, Azzarito did just that as he watched his 6-footer drop for par. After exchanging a handshake and a “good playing” with one another, Azzarito’s ascent to the scoring area was more than likely euphoric. Meanwhile, the look of defeat encompassed Hibler—he knew he had no one to blame but himself.
For the champion, his play throughout the entire week was one of poise and patience. Jug Mountain wasn’t going to make it easy for him or for any golfer in the field. As mentioned before, a straight ball off the tee and having the ability to put the ball on the right side of the hole would be the perfect formula for a ‘W.’ It just happened to be Azzarito who did it best. Did he do it without a blemish? No. He just happened to do it the best.
“I’m surprised I think for one,” Azzarito said with a chuckle. “It is such a hard course. You don’t get a break at any point. You just have to play good golf throughout the entire time. I am proud of myself for doing that, and also, I was just hoping to give myself a chance today. I was happy to find myself in a good situation. I am happy with how I played.”
For an event that produced a scoring average of 83.23 for the entire week, it would still blow one’s mind that only one individual kept all three rounds under par; Azzarito having shot 71-71-69. His ability to bounce back from a poorly-struck iron shot or a lipped-out putt allowed him to keep his scores in the red and best the field.
Jason Azzarito stands perplexed as ball misses target. His reaction was common body language displayed by many in the field this week.
He stated: “Well, I think going in, you have to know that you are going to have some bad holes out here. A 75 is a solid score on this course. If you know that going in, then you are a little bit more forgiving on your bad shots because you know that it is a really hard course. You’re going to have some of those. That was kind of my mindset going in.”
Yes, Azzarito made 13 birdies, but what was even more impressive was how he responded to the adversity he faced this week en route to his come-from-behind victory. He had six bogeys and a double—including almost giving the tournament away as he bogeyed holes 16 and 17 during the final round. Yet, he remained strong, kept fighting, and captured his first Idaho Golf Association Championship.
Click HERE for a look at the leaderboard for all three days.
Mid-Amateur Payout:
1st Place Gross: $650 (Jason Azzarito)
2nd Place Gross: $500 (Jesse Hibler)
3rd Place Gross: $350 (Jeff Anderson)
4th Place Gross: $275 (David Bishop)
5th Place Gross: $200 (Brian Swenson)
6th Place Gross: $150 (Bob Wheeler)
7th Place Gross: $100 (Chris Carew)
1st Place Net: $550 (Ryan Hansen)
2nd Place Net $450 (Chris Boquette)
3rd Place Net: $300 (Jay Sutton)
T4th Place Net: $175 (Mike Montoya)
T4th Place Net: $175 (Jake Rynearson)
T6th Place Net: $90 (Michael Hayes)
T6th Place Net: $90 (Jeff Fowers)