UNION, Ky. – Golf tournaments are often decided by who makes the fewest mistakes during the final holes.
Pressure plays an integral part in determining championships, and many times players' scores are higher than usual during a stretch run.
But that was not the case on Thursday.
Jeremy Martin played the last four holes 3-under as he edged Chris Morris by one stroke to win the Northern Kentucky Amateur Championship on Thursday.
“I played pretty good,” Martin said. “I didn’t make very many putts on the front nine, but it all kind of came together on the back.”
With the two tied and four holes remaining, Martin eagled the 525-yard par-5 15th hole, and birdied No. 16 en route to a six-under-par 136 for 36 holes.
“I had about 225 out, and I just tried to hit a big draw, and I executed perfect,” Martin said. “I can’t hit it much better than that.”
Martin is a sophomore-to-be at Northern Kentucky University, where he plays on the golf team. He won two tournaments in his first season with the Norse.
Martin, Morris, Eric Fuldner and Jason Fryia, were all tied at 1-under six holes into the final round. But Fuldner hit a shot way right at the par-3 seventh and made double bogey, and he stayed behind the pack for the rest of the tournament.
At hole 10, Martin and Morris both made birdie and Fryia bogied and fell two behind the leaders, making it a two-player race for the championship.
Martin pulled ahead with a birdie at 13 when he chipped in from the light rough. Morris responded by sticking his tee shot at the par-3 14th to within six feet of the hole and making birdie to again even the tournament.
“Fourteen was really big for me,” Morris said. “I wanted to let (Martin) know that I wasn’t going to go down easy, and I think I showed that on 18, too, I’m not going to go down without a fight.
“And he delivered a knockout punch with that eagle.”
Martin hit a solid first shot at 15, then his second shot within four feet of the cup, setting up his eagle. Morris made par, giving Martin a two-shot lead.
Both birdied hole 16, with Martin sinking a mid-range putt from the fringe to improve to six-under for the tournament.
Morris hit a strong approach shot at the 17th and had a chance to pick up a stroke, but he could not make a 12-footer. Martin hit his second shot left, and had to chip with the ball lying down. But he got up and down to retain his two-stroke lead.
After watching Martin tear up the back nine, Morris had one more great shot of his own left. His approach shot had to go over a tree to the back half of an hourglass grass, and he stuck it within a few feet.
But Martin calmly knocked his shot to within 10 feet to ice the tournament. Morris made his putt and Martin missed his, but he left a tap-in to clinch.
“I didn’t lose the tournament, I made him win it,” Morris said. “And he stepped up and did it, so I’m not disappointed.”
