Tournament Results
Photos
Jake Griffin Interview
Silver Spring, Md. – The 107th edition of the DC Amateur Championship took place at Argyle Country Club from August 7 to 9. A total of 132 players from Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., participated in the event, all vying for the chance to claim the prestigious title. This is the first year the MSGA hosted the tournament since assuming responsibility for specific programs of the Washington Metropolitan Golf Association (WMGA) and entering into a partnership with the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA) to enhance golf initiatives in Washington, D.C.
Round 1: Griffin Tallies Tournament Low, 64
The first round of the DC Amateur featured a competitive field, with 26 players finishing their rounds at even-par or better. Only 70 spots, including ties, were available to advance to the second round of the tournament. Jake Griffin of the host club, Argyle Country Club, was featured at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the competitive round one. Griffin fired the low round for the tournament in his first round, tallying four birdies and two eagles on his way to a score of 7-under-par 64.
Trailing Griffin by only a stroke and landing in the second-place position was Thomas Harrison from Manor Country Club. Harrison carded seven birdies en route to a score of 6-under-par 65. Carson Looney of Congressional Country Club played a bogey-free first round and carded five birdies to finish at 5-under-par 66 and stand alone in the third-place spot.
Rounding out the top five after the first round were Roberto Nieves of MSGA eClub and Brad Whitaker of Columbia Country Club. Nieves tallied three birdies and an eagle to earn the fourth-place position, scoring a 4-under-par 67. Whitaker stood alone in the fifth-place spot after carding five birdies to finish with a first-round score of 3-under-par 68.
Round 2: Griffin Creates Separation
A total of 71 players earned the right to continue their championship journey into the second round. However, by the end of the day, only 35 players, plus ties, would get the chance to continue that journey into the third round. The competition remained contentious, with 15 players shooting even-par or better in round two.
Brendan Peel of Columbia Country Club made a significant move up the leaderboard after a rollercoaster round one score of even-par 71, in which he carded seven birdies to go along with five bogeys and a double-bogey. Peel began his second round similarly, with his first three-hole scores including an eagle, a bogey, and a birdie. He would then bogey holes six, seven, and nine. However, displaying impressive resilience, Peel would go on to tally four birdies and an eagle en route to a score of 5-under-par 66, which would shoot him 15 spots up the leaderboard into a four-way tie for second place.
Nieves, Whitaker, and Looney joined Peel in the tie for second place to round out the top five. Nieves carded three birdies on his way to a score of 1-under-par 70 in round two. Whitaker started his round hot, firing three birdies in his first four holes, and he would add a fourth on his back nine to finish at a score of 2-under-par 69. Looney carried his bogey-free momentum into his second round, carding two birdies in his first two holes. He would add a third birdie on hole 10, but ultimately could not keep up his bogey-free golf, finishing with a score of even-par 71.
Cabell Faulkner of Manor Country Club jumped 29 spots on the leaderboard after his round two performance. After ending his first round with a bogey and a double bogey on his 17th and 18th holes, Faulkner turned things around in his second round. He fired eight birdies, including a bogey-free back nine, to finish at 6-under-par 65.
Griffin put consistent pressure on the competition by shooting a 3-under-par 68 in his second round, bringing his total score for the tournament to 10-under-par. He started the second round strong, making four birdies in his first seven holes. However, he encountered a challenging stretch on holes eight through ten, where he recorded double bogey, double bogey, and bogey. Griffin regained his rhythm on hole 12, making eagle and adding two more birdies on holes 14 and 15. By the end of the second round, Griffin topped the leaderboard with a five-stroke lead over his closest competitors.
Round 3: Griffin Prevails, Bolstered By Hole 12 Eagle
Despite Griffin holding a five-stroke lead over the rest of the field, round three of the DC Amateur still proved eventful. Eight players would go on to shoot even-par or better in the third round, with four of those players finishing in the top four spots on the leaderboard.
One of the bigger jumps in round three was by Towson University’s Julian Gonzalez. After shooting a 1-under-par 70 in round two, Gonzalez fired off seven birdies in his third round, finishing with a score of 6-under-par 65 and 6-under-par for the tournament. His third-round flurry gave Gonzalez an 11-spot boost into the fourth-place spot on the leaderboard.
Gonzalez was surpassed only by the top three players on the leaderboard, all of whom were the only players to complete each of their three rounds under par. Roberto Nieves put together a solid third-round score of 2-under-par 69, which featured three birdies and an eagle, bringing his tournament total to 7-under-par and a third-place finish. Brad Whitaker made a strong push in his third round, at one point even coming to within a stroke of Griffin’s lead. He carded seven birdies, five of which came on his front nine, resulting in a score of 4-under-par 67 and a tournament total of 9-under-par.
Griffin appeared unfazed by Whitaker’s challenge as he recorded three birdies in his first four holes. However, it was again holes nine and ten that caused trouble for Griffin. His scores on the holes remained the same as they were in round two, a double bogey on hole nine and a bogey on hole ten. This allowed Whitaker to close the gap, pulling within one stroke of the lead after he birdied hole 12.
However, Griffin had previously made an eagle on hole 12 in both of his previous rounds, and like clockwork, he did so again in the final round, helping him bolster his lead. In the end, Griffin managed to maintain his advantage, finishing his final round at 2-under-par 69 and a tournament total of 12-under-par, securing his victory in the 107th DC Amateur Championship.
Griffin credits his play with the driver as one of the keys to his wire-to-wire victory in the DC Amateur. “The driver was feeling [good],” Griffin said. “The fairways firmed up, so the ball was going a long way this week. That was nice.” Griffin added, “I played a great first round. The last two days, the course got a lot firmer, it got tougher, and the wind kind of picked up. I was able to put together two more good rounds.”
It was all the sweeter for Griffin to be able to win the DC Amateur on his home course of Argyle Country Club. “It feels great. Anytime I can win out here, let alone just play out here, it’s always awesome,” Griffin said. “To get the win just felt even better this week.”
The MSGA would like to thank the staff and membership at Argyle Country Club for their hospitality and for helping make the 107th DC Amateur a special tournament.
MSGA Mission
To serve, grow, and advance the game of golf in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
