AmateurGolf.com's Players of the Month: March 2023
31 Mar 2023
by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Ludvig Aberg Rankings
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As winter rolled into spring, seven top amateurs did their part to turn up the temperatures with their play around the country.
The top-ranked amateur in the world won for the second time this season for Texas Tech and showed his mettle in two marquis PGA Tour events. Two others tuned up for their Masters appearances with wins in the Peach State and two collegians shined brightly for Clemson and Tulane.
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AmateurGolf.com's Players of the Month for March of 2023
LUDVIG ABERG
All the world's No. 1 ranked amateur did in March was win the
Valspar Collegiate, where he strung together rounds of 65-67-70 to complete a wire-to-wire victory at the Floridian National Golf Club; and make the cut in two PGA Tour events, the
Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he tied for 23rd, and the Valspar Championship, where he tied for 61st. Not only did Aberg make the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he was tied for ninth place entering the weekend carding back-to-back rounds of 70 at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. His win at the Valspar Collegiate marked his second win this season and his sixth career individual title, which set a new all-time Texas Tech record.
BEN CARR
The runner-up in last year's U.S. Amateur tuned up for his Masters appearance by winning the Schenkel Invitational where he used a birdie on the final hole at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro to edge Hunter Logan of Mississippi State for his fourth career collegiate title. He also had a pair of second-place showings at the Valspar and Colleton River Collegiates.
ANNABELLE PANCAKE
After finishing second at the Clover Cup held at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz., Pancake shared the individual title at the Clemson Invitational with Ingrid Linblad of LSU, Crystal Wang of Illinois and Morgan Ketchum of Virginia Tech for her first collegiate victory.
CARLA BERNAT
The Tulane sophomore from Castellon, Spain was a model of consistency for the Green Wave, chalking up three runner-up finishes at the Trinity Forest Women's Invitational, the Florida State Match-Up and the Anuenue Spring Break Classic. She set a new Tulane women's golf record by recording a tournament score of 13-under at the Trinity Forest Invitational in Dallas where she finished a stroke behind medalist Camryn Carreon of Texas-San Antonio and finished two strokes behind Lottie Woad at the Florida State Match-Up and UCLA's Zoe Campos at the Anuenue Spring Break Classic in Maui.
BOB ROYAK
The former U.S. Senior Amateur champion is in good form heading into the warmer months of the spring and summer after winning the
Jones Cup Senior Invitational at Sea Island Golf Club, where he edged fellow Georgian Jeff Knox for the individual title. He held a share of the lead heading in the final round of the
Chanticleer National Senior Invitational at the Greenville (S.C.) Country Club before settling for a third-place finish.
MARCUS BECK
After winning the super senior division of the Florida Azalea Senior Amateur, the Tallahassee, Fla. resident followed up with a second-place finish at the Moot Thomas Invitational at Ocala Golf Club.
ALDRICH POTGIETER
The 2022 British Amateur champion is firing on all cylinders as he prepares for next week's Masters Tournament. The South African teen went wire-to-wire to win the
Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, a mere 20 minutes from Magnolia Drive, by a whopping 10 shots. A week later, he defeated U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett, 5 and 4, to win the
Georgia Cup, which annually brings together the reigning United States Amateur and British Amateur Champion for an 18-hole match in advance of the Masters.