Incoming University of Kansas sophomore Hartej Grewal (Pleasanton, Calif.) and rising University of North Carolina Charlotte sophomore Pimchompoo “Pinky” Chaisilpringruang (Thailand) are heading home as champions of the 110th Southwestern Amateur. Both entered the final round with slim leads and outlasted their challengers to secure the win at Desert Mountain Club – Outlaw Course.
Grewal, whose transfer to Kansas from UC Riverside was announced earlier this week, capped off a spectacular week with his best round of the tournament, a 6-under 66. That marked his fourth consecutive round under par, joining second-place finisher Matthew Javier (Canada / Southern Miss) in achieving that feat. Grewal’s 16-under-par total was two shots clear of Javier, with Grewal’s fellow Pleasanton, Calif. native Brandon Knight (University of Colorado) solo third at 12 under.
“Winning means a lot because I came into this tournament hoping to win, and then that is what I did,” Grewal said. “And winning just always feels good. So, I’m just really happy right now.”
Playing in the final group together, Grewal and Javier spent nearly the entire final round jockeying for the top two spots. Grewal, who entered the final round one ahead, opened strong with three birdies and a bogey on the front nine, while Javier kept pace with two birdies of his own. The two remained neck-and-neck through the back nine, matching birdies on Nos. 10 and 11. Grewal noted that the momentum never shifted because he never led by more than two strokes, but he finally seized control on the par-5 16th by topping Javier’s birdie with an eagle.
“I had a one-shot lead going into 16, and I knew I had to make something happen on that hole. I needed something good to happen,” Grewal said. “I hit a nice drive into the fairway, had 248 yards in. My 3-wood goes around 265, so I had to hit a really controlled shot into that pin, shorten my club, and shorten my stance. I set up a nice little fade and it did exactly that and hit it to one foot for eagle.”
Charlie Wylie (Houston, Tex. / TCU) and Kentaro Nanayama (Indonesia / Purdue University) rounded out the top five at 10 under par.
In the women’s division, Chaisilpringruang stayed calm under pressure, and like Grewal never gave up her lead. She capped off the final round with a steady 3-under 69 –her third straight sub-70 round – that featured two birdies on both each nine. Her four-day total of 9-under 279 was two strokes clear of 16-year-old Kaili Xiao of China and three ahead of Makayla Tyrrell (Southlake, Tex. / University of Oklahoma) and Amy DeKock (Palm Desert, Calif. / University of Kansas).
Those three chasers all got as close as one behind at various points during Saturday’s final round, but the player who refers to herself simply as “Pinky” put the tournament away on holes 14-16, playing them two under while both Xiao and DeKock fell away with bogeys on the par-3 15th hole.
Lauren Olivares (Mexico / North Carolina State), U.S. National Junior Team member Amelie Zalsman (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and recent U.S. Women’s Four-Ball champion Natalie Yen (West Linn, Ore.) all tied for fifth at 4 under par.
“It means everything to me because I would want to make my team (University of North Carolina Charlotte) proud,” Chaisilpringruang said of winning the championship.
“I felt stressed, I felt pressured, but I told myself to be excited because you are what you tell yourself to be.”