Northwestern University Athletics
Luke Donald Defends Crown at Northeast Amateur
6/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
June 25, 2001
RUMFORD, R.I. - By the time the leaders headed to the back nine, the process of crowning a champion almost seemed arbitrary.
The standings at the Northeast Amateur Invitational Golf Tournament continued to rearrange themselves right up until the end of Sunday's final round at the Wannamoisett Country Club, as many of the top players struggled to remain anywhere near par.
Having to deal with the most difficult pin placements over the four-day competition, the contest was transformed into one of survival. No longer was the intent to go out and grab the title, but rather to keep from falling too hard. The difficulty of the course prevented the field from spreading out, resulting in a contending group that was more than 10 deep. Throughout the day, players lost several spots by shooting just one bad hole.
Emerging from the chaos was defending champion Luke Donald, who beat a late-charging Eric Compton in a five-hole playoff. Donald shot a solid but unspectacular round of par 69, putting him at 1-over 277 to earn a playoff berth with Compton, who shot a 65.
''I haven't been in a playoff in quite some time,'' said Donald, the first back-to-back winner since Jay Sigel (1984-85). ''It wasn't the prettiest golf, but it was definitely crowd-pleasing. I'll take any win.''
Lucas Glover, the leader entering yesterday, had a tough day on the greens. He started 1 under, but shot a 73 to finish in a seven-way tie for sixth at 279.
''The putter let me down all day,'' Glover said. ''I never should have been in the position I was in.''
While Donald did what he could to stay at par, Glover, Duke Delcher (71-278), Robert Hamilton (67-278), Jerry Courville (67-278), Adam Groom (72-279), Andy Sanders (73-280) and Nick Cassini (70-279) were all at or near the lead at some point. But one by one, they tripped and fell.
Courville and Groom had frustrating experiences. Both were 1 over going into the 18th hole and par would have put them in the playoff. Courville missed an 8-footer to bogey and Groom landed his approach shot in the sand trap and had a double bogey.
''It didn't move,'' Courville said of his putt. ''I figured it had to move a little bit.''
Groom, obviously upset, did not want to discuss his problems on 18.
While the top of the mountain was collapsing, Compton was rapidly climbing up. He shot a 74 Saturday to place himself in an eight-way tie for 15th. Following that round, Compton proclaimed, ''I shot myself out of the tournament.''
Compton, however, shot the best round of the day, 65. He was off the links an hour and a half before the last pair hit the final hole, not expecting his lead to hold.
''I guess it could stand,'' he shrugged. ''Hopefully, I can get in a playoff. The wind's got to blow a little bit.''
The playoff, the first since 1989, was tightly contested. Donald and Compton each recorded pars through the first, second, third, and ninth holes.
Starting back at the first hole, Compton drove his ball into the right rough. He never recovered. He got the ball to within 10 feet of the pin after two more shots, but couldn't sink the ensuing putt. Donald had no trouble making par for the victory.
''I knew par would be good enough, so that's what I went for,'' Donald said. ''It means a lot [to win]. It's one of the best amateur tournaments in America, maybe the world.''
This story was written by Dylan Hernandez of the Boston Globe
