Mid-amateur from South Carolina wins Terra Cotta Invitational in Florida
Connor Doyal, a South Carolina mid-amateur, fired a final round 67 to edge junior Dawson Lew by one shot at the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational.
All that separated Connor Doyal from the biggest win of his amateur golfing career was 5 feet of perfectly manicured green on Hole No. 18 at Naples National Golf Club. That plus a super-sized case of the yips.
"My hands were shaking uncontrollably," said the 26-year-old mid-amateur from Charleston, South Carolina. "But I've had some moments like this before, and I think I've just learned to let it happen and not fight it. I knew it wasn't going to be the best stroke of my life, but in the moment, I just had to trust myself to make the putt.
" Just as he had for much of the third and final round of the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational, Doyal delivered, dropping in the putt to win the event by one stroke over 17-year-old junior golfer Dawson Lew of Toronto, Canada. Doyal, who entered the day two shots behind co-leaders Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach and University of Florida senior Parker Bell, shot 5-under 67 to finish 12-under, two shots off the low-scoring record for the 54-hole tournament. "Honestly, I just hit the ball fantastic start to finish," Doyal said.
"I hit a ton of greens and then the putter started heating up. I woke up feeling good this morning, and I knew I had it in me. "Coming down the stretch, I had to battle.