Juan Martin Loureiro and Sarah Gallagher (Porter Cup Photo)
Juan Martin Loureiro of Buenos Aires, Guernica shot a bogey-free 5-under 65 to win the 64th Porter Cup by two shots at 11-under par. Loureiro was the only golfer to reach double-digits under par and the only one to shoot all four rounds under par in the tournament.
Even though Loureiro won by two shots, the end of this one was far from drama free.
Loureiro entered No. 18 at 10 under par. Charlie Berridge of Scarsdale, N.Y., who was one group ahead of Loureiro, also entered No. 18 at 10 under par but made bogey, falling to 9 under and making the scenario simple for Loureiro. Par and win.
However, Loureiro hit his ball in a greenside bunker and looked like he could be in trouble, knowing that he needed a par to win.
Loureiro took the putter out of his hands and holed out from the bunker to win the tournament and secure the two-shot victory. Check out the bunker shot in the video below.
Loureiro shot 68-69-67-65 to shoot a total of 11 under for the tournament.
Loureiro recorded one birdie and eight pars on the front nine to shoot a 34, but he turned it up a gear on the back nine with birdies on Nos. 10, 14, and 15 to get to 10 under. The birdie on No. 18 was the icing on the cake.
Berridge shot a 4-under par 66 to finish in second place at 9-under par. Berridge got off to a great start in his tournament with a 5 under 65 in the first round, but two-straight even par rounds of 70 in the second and third rounds ended up being his downfall.
First round leader Anthony Delisanti of Sanborn, N.Y., finished in third place at 8-under par. Delisanti shot a 6-under 64 to lead the field after round one, but a second round 3 over 73 put him way down the leaderboard. He was able to fight back to third place with a third round of 2 under 68 and a final round of 3 under 67.
The leader heading into the final round was Noah Kumar of Sarasota, Fla., but he shot a 1-over 71 to finish T4 with Shubham Jaglan of Tampa, Fla., at 6-under par. Kumar started the day with a bogey on No. 1 and made just one birdie in his final round.
This was the first time the tournament held the men's and the women's tournament at the same time, similar to the
Southwestern Amateur and the way that tournament operates.
"We decided to do it and we are very pealed with the way it turned out,” Porter Cup Media Relations Chairman Marty Schimmel said. “We went up against the North & South Women’s Amateur, but we are going to continue to do it this way. We had very positive feedback from players and parents and are excited to move forward."
The tournament will look to find a different date to not go up against another big Amateur tournament.
On the women's side of the tournament, Ball State's Sarah Gallagher's superb play in rounds one and three left her with enough breathing room to survive a shaky finish to her week at the Porter Cup. Shooting 68 on both Wednesday and Friday gave her two of the three 68s shot during the week among the women. That left her with a five-shot lead heading into Saturday's final round over Mia Sessa.
15-year-old Amelie Phung (Forest Hills, NY) had a bit of a steadier week around Niagra Falls CC, but couldn't close the gap on Saturday and finished in solo second after rounds of 75-70-72-73 for a final score of 10-over par. Phung, who plies her craft at the Florida Atlantic University High School in Boca Raton, Florida is also a world-class chess player. But after making bogeys on holes 16 and 17, it was checkmate for the youngster.
Gallagher's day started inauspiciously, she made a double bogey on the first hole en route to a front nine 41. Mia Sessa (Augusta, Ga.), who was the closest competitor at the start of the day, made three straight bogeys on her first three holes. She righted the ship with a birdie on the fourth hole and then six straight pars before making another birdie on eleven. Her front nine 37 closed the gap on Gallagher to a single shot.
However, Gallagher had a strong stretch on holes Nos 10-15; she played them in two under par. That got her back to 5-over par for the tournament and out of reach from her two main chasers in Phung and Sessa. Sessa finished the day in a tie for fifth with Canadian Haley Yerxa at 11-over par.
Phung was joined in a tie for second with Canadian Ella Weber and Julia Towne (Eustis, Fla). Notably, Julia McLaughlin (Sarasota, Fla.) was the only play to shot an under par round on Saturday with a 69. Her and champion, Gallagher, were the only two players in the women's field to shoot two under-par rounds.
ABOUT THE
Porter Cup
One of the premier amateur events in the
nation, this 72-hole stroke play invitational has
lots of extra activities that give this event a special
flavor. The winning player receives a green blazer, as
well as an invitation to the Master of the Amateurs
tournament in Melbourne, Australia. Pre-tournament
qualifying is a few weeks prior to the
event and approximately five spots are available.
Starting in 2023, the men's and women's
Porter Cup championships are run concurrently with
54 players in each field and alternating
tee times. It's been exciting seeing the top players in each division in final pairings on the par-3 18th hole at Niagara Falls CC, with large galleries always appreciative of the rising talent.
View Complete Tournament Information