Karoline Tuttle (Dixie Amateur Photo)

Tuttle got progressively better throughout the week, carding rounds of 74-72-70-68, and was the lone golfer to finish under par. 

Tuttle's third round was punctuated by an 84-yard hole out on the par-4 No. 14 that two hopped into the hole to reocrd an eagle. 

"My irons and distance control were great," Tuttle said. "The wind made for very tough conditions, but just flying the shots and controlling the distance with my irons was a huge factor."

The field dealt with 20-30 mile per hour winds the whole tournament, and Tuttle was able to combat that with her iron control all week.

The Florida sophomore found herself with a five-shot lead through six holes in the final round after back-to-back birdies, and she never looked back. 

"I just wanted to stay focused," Tuttle said. "It was between me and the course. I had no idea what my lead was and didn't look at the leaderboard at all. I just wanted to keep doing my thing and playing my game."

Tuttle will now head back to Florida with added confidence from this win.

"It's so cool," Tuttle said about the win. "It has been a tough two to three years for me, so to get this win just means so much. Going through a wrist injury last year and coming back from that, this is so cool."

Isaka Sakashita of Deland, Fla., and Faith Choi of Frederick, Md., finished T2 at 1-over, and Ann-Sophie Bourgault of Canada finished in solo fourth place at 4-over.

Prior to Florida, Tuttle qualified for seven USGA events and was a two-time Florida High School State Team Champion. She was a three-time AJGA Champion and a six-time Florida Junior Tour Champion. She also has three top-five finishes at the Florida Women's Amateur.

The Dixie Amateur, which originated in 1924, was played at the old Miami Country Club. Florida has always been a golf destination, and the tournament attracts a strong field of talented amateur players.

Early winners of the Dixie Amateur included Frank Stafaci, Earl Christianson, Frank Perpich, Al Besselink, Bill Hyndman III, and future Masters Champion Doug Ford. With the closing of the Miami Golf Club in 1953, the Dixie was discontinued until 1962.

The Dixie Amateur has been played continuously since 1962 at various courses in South Florida, including The Links at Key Biscayne and the Golf Club of Miami. During this time, the tournament really began to attract the very best players in the United States, and several players won before graduating to the PGA Tour. Champions include Andy Bean, Bruce Fleisher, Lanny Wadkins, Nolan Henke, Len Mattice, and Jesper Parnevik.

In 1990, the Dixie Amateur was moved to the Bonaventure Resort. During this time period, the tournament was moved to December and held during the Christmas break. This move allowed a greater number of collegiate golfers to participate, and the strength of our field grew substantially.

In 1997, a senior division was created for players 55 years and older. This increased exposure and attracted an even stronger field of senior golfers. Steve Earsley of Stuart, Florida, won the inaugural event and repeated as Champion in 1998.

In 2002, the women's division was added and has consistently attracted the finest female amateurs in the world. The inaugural women's champion, Meaghan Francella, narrowly defeated Paula Creamer, now an LPGA superstar. The 2007 women's champion, Lexi Thompson, became the youngest winner of an LPGA tournament in 2011 at the age of 16.