Around the Green

Terrin Anderson Wins the South Amateur

Briefly: Terrin Anderson of Montgomery goes wire-to-wire to win the 2023 South Amateur. Anderson navigated his way around The Wilderness Golf Course at 7-under par 209 for three days, all while being chased by a swarm of players near the top of the leaderboard. This was Anderson’s first victory with the Texas Golf Association.

Final Results

Golf Course: The Wilderness Golf Club opened in 2004 and was designed by Jeffrey Brauer. Recognized as an Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary, the scenic layout weaves through and around hardwood forests, streams, marshes, and protected wetlands. For the South Amateur, the par-72 layout will play approximately 7,100 yards.

Weather: Friday’s opening round of the South Amateur welcomed players with clear blue skies and ideal scoring conditions. The temperature reached a high of 97 degrees, with a feels like of 109 degrees, and a light steady wind of 9 mph. While the hot temperatures remained constant throughout the weekend, players saw an increase in wind speeds with gusts up to 25 mph on Saturday and Sunday.

Top Finishers: Anderson posted rounds of 65-73-71 over his three days which included a key birdie during his final round on the par-4 17^th to secure his two-stroke victory. Anderson began the day with a two-stroke lead over the field but found himself trailing by one making the turn to the par-5 10^th hole. After a 1-over par 37 on his opening nine, Anderson settled down and found a comfortable rhythm which included birdies on three of his final five holes for a closing nine score of 2-under par, 34.

Finishing two shots off the lead in second place was Cedar Park’s Jonothan Kim, which included a 6-under par 66 in the second round, the lowest score of the day. In solo third place was Colt Tenpenny of Fulshear. Tenpenny, who was the only player in the field to shoot under par in all three rounds, finished at 4-under par 212 for the tournament. In a tie for fourth place at 2-under par 214 were Broc Haymon of League City and Logan Thomason of Montgomery. Thomason was the 2023 South Mid-Amateur champion earlier this March at The Clubs of Kingwood. Rounding out the top ten in a tie for sixth place was Blake Benson of Austin, Randy Lance of Spring, Christian Rodriquez of Houston, and Austin’s Andrew Tan and Tyler Blackwell. The quintet finished at even par 216.

Regional POY: South Player of the Year points will be awarded to the top 30 finishers at the 2023 South Amateur with the champion will receive 1,000 points. For Regional POY information, click here.

What’s Next: With the conclusion of the 2023 TGA Regional Series, next on the state championship schedule is the Texas Four-Ball. Registration for the Four-Ball will close on August 9 at 5:00 pm, the Four-Ball will be contested August 18-20 at Pinecrest Country Club in Longview. Texas Mid-Amateur qualifying is underway for the TGA with sites scattered across the state for the next two months. The 40^th Texas Mid-Amateur will be hosted by Midland Country Club September 29-October 1.

More Info: The Texas Golf Association extends its sincere appreciation to the staff, members of The Wilderness Golf Club, and our volunteers for their integral part in making the South Amateur a memorable and successful event. For more information on the South Amateur, click here.