Tom Newton knows if he’s close going into the final round of the Porter Amateur, he has a chance to win.
Newton was five shots behind Mike Lee going into Sunday’s round at Valparaiso Country Club.
He was confident, though, that he could deliver.
Newton did, making a 10-foot putt for birdie on No. 18 to win his second title.
Newton finished the four-round tournament — which also featured rounds at Forest Park Golf Course, The Brassie Golf Club and Sand Creek Country Club — with a score of 2-over-par 288.
He shot par 72 on Sunday to overtake Lee, who led for the first three rounds before shooting 79 Sunday to finish at 290.
It was an emotional moment for Newton, a Valparaiso Country Club member who also won in 2010. Newton and his wife are adopting a baby boy in October.
He’s not sure how much time he’ll have for golf for the next few years.
“I’m kind of giddy right now,” Newton said. “I really wanted to try hard to bring this one home. I hear the game changes quite a bit after you have kids.”
Newton and Lee were tied going into No. 18, a 385-yard par 4.
Lee had to punch his approach under a limb and it rolled to the back of the green. He had a 50-foot downhill putt that he left eight feet above the hole.
Newton had the same line as Lee. Normally, he said, he wouldn’t always try to make the putt because it was so slick.
He decided to go for the birdie because he wanted to end it.
“It’s a difficult one,” Newton said. “I know the challenge of that putt. It’s two balls right of the hole and you let it drift back in. I knew if I missed, I had a tap-in and he still had a tough putt. “
Lee lipped out his putt for par, taking a bogey.
Lee had issues with his putter the whole day.
He made a double bogey on No. 10, a par five, after he was in a green-side bunker. He three-putted there and Newton cut the lead to one stroke.
Newton took the lead on No. 15 after he sank an eight-foot putt for birdie and Lee made bogey.
Lee tied him on No. 17 when he made birdie from 12 feet.
Lee just couldn’t comfortable on the greens. Lee, who plays for Indiana Northwest, hadn’t played the course since before high school.
“I was jabbing at putts all day,” he said. “I had the yips on the greens.”
Lee gave credit to Newton, saying, “Tom;s a great guy. I’m happy for him. He played well and I didn’t. That’s the way it goes.”
Newton is glad the final round is always at VCC. It’s home court for him.
“I thought it would take lower than this to win,” he said. “I figured if it turned into a grind, I had a good chance. I have a lot of history here. It was a grind.”
Twitter @mikehuttonpt
Be the first to comment