Thomas stays positive to win his first NM-WT Am
NMSU golfer gains confidence from 10-under 62 in first round
After coming close to winning the New Mexico-West Texas Men’s Amateur Championship the past two years, Aidan Thomas really wanted to come out on top in the 2022 edition.
Thomas, former St. Pius standout who plays golf for New Mexico State University, shot 2-under par70 in the final round to finish 14-under 202, winning the NM-WT Am Championship by two strokes Sunday at Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course in El Paso.
“I was telling the guys, I felt like I got the monkey off my back for the tournament,” said Thomas, 21, who will be a senior for the Aggies with two years of eligibility remaining with an extra year granted by the NCAA due to the coronavirus-shortened season in 2020. “I tied for fourth two years ago and runner-up with Sam Choi last year. I really wanted to win this one to put my name on the trophy and be with a bunch of great golfers.”
Thomas, who shot 2-under on Saturday, led wire to wire after a sensational, bogeyfree 10-under 62 in the opening round on Friday. That gave him a two-shot lead heading into the second round.
“It’s been a grind to try to balance work and golf,” said Thomas, who works at Las Campanas in Santa Fe. “So the first round gave me confidence for the rest of the tournament.”
Simon Miller, the 2019 Albuquerque Men’s City champion, finished second at 12-under 204 (67-67-70).
Gustavo Morantes, a University of New Mexico men’s golf assistant coach, shot 11-under 205 (67-67-71) to finish third.
Javi Delgadillo, an El Paso Eastwood High product who will be an incoming freshman at NMSU, shot 9-under 207 (64-72-71) to tie for fourth with Damon Vilkauskas, who will be a junior at UTEP.
Delgadillo was two shots back of Thomas after the first round, and Miller and Morantes trailed Thomas by two shots entering the final round.
“The final round was stressful,” Thomas said. “I was not hitting too good. But my
short game saved me and kept me in it. I was fortunate enough to come out with the victory because I was really struggling with my swing. ... The first day definitely helped, but I think it was my mentality (on Sunday). I just never really got mad at myself. I stayed positive. I just moved forward.”
Thomas said he will next play in the U.S. Amateur Qualifier at his home course, the NMSU Golf Course in Las Cruces, in a 36-hole event on July 13. He’ll be vying to reach the event at the Ridgewood Country Club and Arcola Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey Aug. 15-21.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Thomas said. “This win is going to boost my confidence going forward and I have a good shot of qualifying this year.” — Steve Virgen
WOMEN’S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: In Bethesda, Maryland, In Gee Chun rallied after losing the rest of her once-sizeable lead, overcoming a bogey-filled front nine to win the Women’s PGA Championship on Sunday when Lexi Thompson faltered with her putter.
Chun shot a 3-over 75 for the second consecutive day at Congressional, but that was enough to win her third major title by a stroke over Thompson and Minjee Lee.
Chun, after leading by six at the tournament’s midway point, lost a three-shot advantage in the first three holes of the final round. Thompson was two strokes ahead of her after the front nine, but Thompson’s putting problems were just beginning.
The 27-year-old Floridian botched a par putt from a couple of feet on No. 14, but a birdie on 15 restored her lead to two. Then she was just right of the green on the par-5 16th, chipped over the green and made bogey while Chun made birdie, leaving them tied.
Thompson three-putted for bogey on 17, and after an impressive approach from the rough on 18, her birdie putt wasn’t hit firmly enough.
Chun’s approach on the par-4 18th bounced past the hole and just off the back of the green, but she putted to within about 5 feet and sank her par attempt for the win.
Thompson hasn’t won an LPGA Tour event since 2019, and her lone major victory came as a teenager at Mission Hills in the California desert in 2014. She’s certainly had chances. She lost a five-stroke lead during the final round of last year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club.
PGA TOUR: In Cromwell, Connecticut, Xander Schauffele won the Travelers Championship with a three-stroke swing on the final hole, hitting to 3 feet for birdie after rookie Sahith Theegala took two shots to get out of a bunker and made a double bogey in the group ahead.
A stroke in front entering the day, Schauffele finished with a 2-under 68 at TPC River Highlands to beat Theegala and J.T. Poston by two strokes. The Olympic champion had a 19-under 261 total. Theegala shot a 67, and Poston had a 64. Schauffele won for the sixth time on the PGA Tour and the second this season after teaming with Patrick Cantlay to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April.
Theegala was lurking near the top of the leaderboard all day and grabbed a share of the lead on 15, driving the green on the par-4 hole and making a 4-foot birdie putt. He overtook Schauffele with an 11-footer for birdie on 17, pumping his fist.
But the former Pepperdine star hit his tee shot on 18 left and into the front lip of a fairway bunker. He needed two tries to get out of the bunker.
His 12-foot bogey putt lipped out, and he fell to his knees in agony.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS/USGA: In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Padraig Harrington holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 15th right when the last of his five-shot lead was about to vanish, and he closed with three tough pars for a 1-over 72 to hold off Steve Stricker and win the U.S. Senior Open.
Harrington never lost the lead at Saucon Valley on a day when he made it hard on himself.
Stricker, who started the final round eight shots behind, began making his run with consecutive birdies to finish the front nine, and he closed with two straight birdies for a 65.
That left him one shot behind, and the Irishman needed only pars to win for the first time on the PGA Tour Champions. It wasn’t easy.
Harrington had to two-putt from above a ridge on the 16th, and he trickled it down to a foot. He was well below a ridge from about 50 feet away on the par-3 17th and, after running that by 6 feet, calmly rolled in the par putt.
On the closing hole, he was pin-high but some 35 feet away with a spine running through the line of his putt. He cozied that to 3 feet and rapped it in for the win.
Harrington finished at 10-under 274.