Dec. 18, 2017
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Auburn men's golf junior Ryan Knop won the 2017 Amateur Golf.com Tour Championship hosted by Poppy Hills Golf Course on Sunday, carding a 4-over 71-75--146 total over two days of play in rough conditions to win by one shot.
The Pleasanton, Calif. product carded a 71 in Saturday's opening round, and was the lone member of the field to card an even-par or better in a day plagued by rough winds. He started the day 3-over through 11 holes, but a birdie on No. 12 sparked a 3-under finish over the final seven.
Knop initially struggled in Sunday's final round, making the turn at 5-over 40, however he bounced back on the back nine to finish with a 35 and hold off the quartet of Connor Blick, George McNeely, Alex Chin and Josh Sedeno, who tied for second at 5-over 147, to claim the one-stroke victory.
Knop, who is averaging 72 strokes per round this season collegiately, has a pair of top-10 finishes for the Tigers, including a runner-up finish at the F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate.
Auburn returns to action Feb. 1-3, 2018 at the Amer Ari Invitational in Waikoloa, Hawaii.