Three share New Year's Invitational lead entering final round
Sam Horsfield
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Jan. 10, 2015) — There will be quite the final group teeing off Sunday morning at St. Petersburg Country Club for the final round of the New Year's Invitational.
Sharing the 54-hole lead are defending champion Sam Horsfield, reigning U.S. Amateur winner Gunn Yang, and recent University of North Carolina graduate Michael McGowan. Together they hold a one-stroke advantage over LSU sophomore Brandon Pierce.
Horsfield, a soon-to-be freshman at the University of Florida, and Yang, a sophomore at San Diego State, began Saturday in a tie for sixth place three shots back. But both players will find themselves in the final pairing after rounds of four-under 68 jumped them to the top.
McGowan carded 70 on Saturday after being a stroke behind at the tournament's halfway point. He'll join Horsfield and Yang for a special last group Sunday afternoon.
Horsfield won last year's event by four shots over Philippe Schweizer thanks to a second-round 65. He needed just 71-70 over the weekend to cruise to victory.
Second-round leader Chris Selfridge, a native of Northern Ireland who plays collegiately for the University of Todelo, shot 75 in the third round and will need a four-shot comeback to get back into contention.
ABOUT THE
Historic invitational golf tournament that
originated
on the Lakewood golf course in 1927. This
same
amateur invitational tournament -- which
attracts
top Florida amateurs and a strong group of out-of-
state players as well --
continues,
unbroken, each year although the club
name was
later changed to St. Petersburg Country
Club.
The 2025 New Year's Invitational Champion will earn an exemption into the LECOM Suncoast Classic, a Korn Ferry Tour event.
View Complete Tournament Information