Christian Cavaliere (Submitted Photo)

The former Boston College standout used consistent ball striking all week to pull away late from the field and win the championship. Cavaliere finished 12-under and carded rounds of 71-66-68-67 to secure a three-shot win.

"I hit it so well that I just made nothing," Cavaliere said. "I was confident that if I kept hitting it that well and the putts fell, I would be in a good spot, and that is exactly what happened on Friday.

"It was nothing crazy," Cavaliere added. "It was just really solid golf."

This was his first time playing in the event, and suffice to say, he made the most of it. 

"I have gotten into some of the really cool mid-amateur events, and with family in Charleston, I figured it would be a really fun week to be here and play in an event, so I was very grateful to be in the field," Cavaliere said. 

Cavaliere finished T12 at the 2024 Coleman Invitational and T12 at the 2025 Gasparilla Invitational. He made the final 32 at the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

"I have a good balance in my life," Cavaliere said about his solid play of late. "I am mainly focused on growing and running my business, so golf is something that I get to do instead of something I have to put so much time into. When I am out playing, I try to enjoy it as much as possible.

And he was bogey-free in his final round to win. 

"I didn't try to force anything," Cavaliere said. "I just went through my routine and picked my spots."

North Carolina commit Preston Hage finished in solo second place at 9-under, and Gareth Steyn finished in solo third place at 8-under. Peyton Blackard finished in solo fourth place at 6-under, and Andrew Bailey and Sam Jackson finished T5 at 5-under to round out the top five.

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Five facts about the Azalea Invitational

The Azalea attracts the very best Mid-Ams and Juniors from across the country and internationally each year, along with a unique blend of college players, depending on the college schedules that year.

As one player stated, “Because of the time of year the Azalea is played, The Azalea brings together a rare combination of accomplished golfers along with golfers who are beginning their careers.”

Established in 1786, the Country Club of Charleston was the first golf club in the United States. The current course was designed by Seth Raynor in 1925, with revisions by John LaFoy in 1990 after Hurricane Hugo leveled hundreds of trees there.

The course is vintage Raynor, with sectioned tabletop greens, flat linear bunkers with steep grass slopes, and some bold and unusual holes. Without question, the most (in)famous hole is the 187-yard 11th, to a narrow angled tabletop green with amazingly deep bunkers on either side.

Ben Hogan cursed the hole, and it is not unusual in tournament play to see players lay up short of the green rather than go back and forth from bunker to bunker. Other notable holes include the 432-yard 16th, protected in front by a deep Lion's Mouth bunker, and the 333-yard 14th, which features one of the best greens Raynor ever built.