Jaguars win both men and women’s championship flights in City Amateur
By Preston Hall | Sports writer
Augusta University sophomore Dawson Booth won the 2021 Augusta City Amateur tournament on Sunday, Sept. 19, at Forest Hills Golf Club.
The amateur golf tournament was a two-day event on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18-19.
“A huge congratulations to Dawson for winning the Augusta City Amateur,” said AU men’s golf coach Jack O’Keefe. “I hope this gives Dawson a boost of confidence for his own game as well as other guys on the team. We need some guys to step up and maybe this is the jumpstart they need.”
This marks the second year in row an AU player has won the Augusta City Amateur, with Hampus Wijkstrom winning in 2020.
Booth, a member of the AU men's golf team, competed in the Open Division where he shot a two-day total of 4-under-par on the par-72, 6,800-yard layout at Forest Hills, which is the home of the Jaguars.
“The course was in great shape,” Booth said. “The greens were rolling well and the course was set up challenging for all of the competitors. It was great to compete in the tournament, and the goal for every tournament is to win. I was thankful enough to play myself in to contention and at the end of the day it was enough to win.”
Booth said the City Am win provides him with a spark for the 2021-22 season.
“This will definitely boost my confidence moving forward to the other events moving forward, and I learned a lot this weekend that will help me through the rest of college,” Booth said. “My biggest challenge this week was remembering that it is just a game. Regardless of how much I wanted to win and play well, it's important to remember that it is something that I love and enjoy and not something that controls my life.”
Teammate Wijkstrom finished at 3 under par, followed by junior Viktor Lindgren (-2), freshman Austin Dolan (+2) and sophomore Brock Hoover (+2).
“The guys pushed each other this weekend,” said O’Keefe. “I know they all wanted to win, and they all had a chance going into the final round. I am proud of them and think this is a step in the right direction for them and the team.”
In the women's championship flight, three AU golfers played, and freshman Petra Duran won with a two-day score of 5-over-par.
The other two AU women golfers were junior Olivia Patrow (+16) and senior Nicole Page (+10).
The next time the Jaguars will play the Forest Hills course competitively will be in the spring. The Jaguar women will host the Augusta Valspar Invitational on March 12-13, and then on April 2-3, 2021, the men will host the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational presented by Valspar.
The AU men were supposed to play in the Honors Course Invitational in Chattanooga, Tenn., this week, but the event was cancelled due to heavy rain. Next up is the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wis., on Sept 26-28.
Contact Preston Hall at prhall@augusta.edu.
Jaguar Dawson Booth shows off his City Amateur championship trophy on the clubhouse porch at Forest Hills Golf Club. (photo courtesy of Teri Booth, special to the Bell Ringer)
