Western Amateur champion Ian Gilligan finishes T16 at Shriners Open
20 Oct 2024
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Ian Gilligan Rankings
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Ian Gilligan (Florida Athletics Photo)
Ian Gilligan shot 3-under through two rounds at the Shriners Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nev.
Gilligan carded two rounds of 70-69 and was T49 through high winds and difficult playing conditions. Because of a long weather delay on Friday, round two continued on Saturday morning.
He recorded eight birdies and five bogeys and is 22nd in the field in putting through the first two rounds. Gilligan shot a 5-under 66 and a 6-under 65 over the weekend to get to 14-under and propel up to T16 in the tournament.
He finished tenth in the field in putting and recorded no bogeys on the weekend. Gilligan is currently ranked No. 8 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
He adapts to handle unexpected circumstances well after his summer of golf.
"I think winning the Western Amateur over the summer was my biggest win in Amateur Golf.," Gilligan said after the first round. "That was just because of how long and grueling that tournament was."
Ian Gilligan won the prestigious Western Amateur in 29 holes in early August, earning him a spot in the Shriners this week.
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"Definitely the craziest match I've ever been a part of or heard of," Gilligan told the Western Golf Association after the match. "I think I owe an apology to everyone for making it so long."
Gilligan defeated his Florida teammate Parker Bell in 19 holes in the first semifinal, while Turner defeated Henry Guan in 19 holes to set up the all-Florida final.
According to the Western Golf Association, The longest Western Amateur final was previously a 22-hole affair featuring Norman Xiong and Doc Redman in 2017. It was beaten more than an hour before Gilligan was crowned champion.
"Jack and I were talking about it on our ninth playoff hole and decided we were ready for it to be over," Gilligan said with a laugh. "But I just kept telling myself you're playing for a tournament of the biggest magnitude and need to keep going."