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BY: RORY SPEARS
He is only 18 years old, but that didn’t stop Raymond Knoll from winning the 84th Illinois State Amateur. Knoll defeated Illinois bound Nick Hardy on the 4th playoff hole, when he recorded a par and Hardy had to take a drop after hitting in the hazzard. Both golfers finished the 54 hole event at 8 under par and a score of 280.
“It was great coming here to Cantigny and win this week,” said Knoll. “It’s where I grew up and where I practice. I feel really comfortable here.”
Knoll had a long day on Monday, with a qualifier for the U.S. Amateur, then he opened with a 3 over par 75 in round one on Tuesday. He made seven birdies in round two including five in a row, to shoot 67 and get back into the championship. Round three saw Knoll record eight more birdies and a second 67. Knoll shot a one under par 71 in the final round.
Last week Knoll, who is a sophomore on the University of Iowa golf team went out and Monday qualified for the John Deere Classic.Knoll played well but missed the cut. Knoll had to survive the three hole aggregate playoff to make it to the fourth hole, hardy had a couple of chances to win the championship.
Hardy struggled in with a 75 in round two, but came on strong with rounds of 66-69 on Thursday.
Auburn University Senior Daniel Stringfellow took third place, two shots out of the playoff. Stringfellow extended his streak of top 20 finishes in the state amateur to 7 straight years. A second round triple bogey may have kept him from winning the championship.
Chadd Slutzky who lead after rounds 1 & 2, shot 71 and 75 in the final two rounds to finish fourth. Defending Champion Tee-K Kelly finished T-13.
Knoll heads right back into competition next week at the Glen Club when he tee’s it up in the Illinois Open. The following week he will play in the Western Amateur at Beverly. Hardy will join Knoll in the Western Amateur field, after earning an exemption from finishing in second place in the Western Junior Championship.
The low 20 players plus ties, 22 golfers in all. Earned their way into the 2015 Illinois State Amateur Championship, to be held July 14-16 at the Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield. Visit CDGA.org for more information on the state amateur or upcoming CDGA events.