Texas State’s White wins Arizona Am
Sophomore uses sharp putting to claim the title
It was the 17th hole of the championship round of the Arizona Amateur tournament, and Evan White was 1-up on competitor Tyler Kertson. Kertson had already used up two strokes without reaching the hole, and White was 30 feet away after just one shot.
With the picturesque Superstition Mountains looming behind him, White surveyed the distance, squared his shoulders and readied his putter.
He holed the putt on his first try for a birdie, claiming the match 2&1 and becoming the 95th champion of the amateur tournament at Superstition Mountain Golf Club on Saturday.
“I was in shock for a second,” said White, a rising sophomore at Texas State. “I was like, did that really just happen? I wasn’t expecting it. It’s one of those putts you’re just trying to get a par, get out of there with a par and put the pressure on him to make his putt. But it went in, and that was very special.”
The tournament opened Monday with over a hundred players. The field was whittled down by two rounds of stroke play before match play began Wednesday. Kertson had finished stroke play as the eighth seed, White as the 39th. By Saturday, they were the only two left standing.
Kertson claimed an early lead when White bogeyed the first hole, but the two finalists were all square at the turn. White’s short game had him 1-up with a birdie on the 13th, but Kertson tied the match on the next hole.
Things took a turn on the 16th, when another solid putt put White ahead once again. This time, he put the game away on the next hole, going 2-up on the 17th and claiming the match victory.
“He was really solid, really putted well,” Kertson said. “... For him to roll in that 30-footer on the last hole, that was awesome. Good for him for ending like that. I wish he missed it so I had a chance, but yeah, it was a good match.”
Kertson's first strokes landed him on the green more often than not, while White had to chip in a few wayward shots from the fringe. Still, the Boston College graduate couldn’t trump White’s precise aim on his short putts.
“I got it in play off the tee, but I struggled a lot with my irons,” White said. “I mishit a few, but I missed them in good positions, and then I was able to make a few longer putts which definitely put the pressure on him and ended up helping me win.”
White is returning to Texas State this fall for his sophomore year. This marks the first tournament win of his college career.
“I’m kind of speechless, honestly,” White said. “At the beginning of the week, I wasn’t … expecting this, but once I got to match play, I realized I had a legitimate shot. It just feels super good to come out on top.”