Hilton Head golfer, 16, is SC Amateur’s youngest champion ever

Jonathan Griz, a rising high school junior, fired a 5-under-par 67 Sunday at Columbia Country Club to become the youngest champion in the 89-year history of the South Carolina Amateur Championship.

Griz, 16, from Hilton Head Island, began the final round three shots off the lead, but he birdied the second hole and eagled the third with a 40-foot putt to catch up.

“I wanted to get off to a fast start, and after I made that putt, I knew I could win,” said Griz, who won the recent North and South Junior Amateur in Pinehurst.

Still in a tight four-way battle, he hammered a 3-iron 252 yards on the par-5 hole No. 12 to within three feet for his second eagle of the day. He rolled home a birdie putt from the fringe on No. 15 to maintain a one-shot edge over North Carolina State golfer Christian Salzer of Sumter.

But Salzer’s chances disappeared with a four-putt for double-bogey on the par-3 17th hole, and Griz cruised home three shots clear of Salzer and 2018 Mid-Amateur Champion Kyle Bearden of Barnwell.

Defending champion Tyler Gray of Lugoff, who plays at Coastal Carolina University, began the final round with a one-shot lead, but he struggled to a 2-over 74 Sunday and placed fourth.

“I played hard, but I couldn’t get anything going,” Gray said.

Griz, who has committed to play college golf at the University of Alabama, replaced Jack Lewis as the tournament’s youngest champion. He finished four rounds at 14-under 274. Salzer and Bearden posted 277s with Gray another shot back.

Lewis won the 1964 State Amateur, also at Columbia Country Club, at age 17.

SC Amateur top final scores

This story was originally published August 9, 2020 at 4:29 PM.