Daniel Berger wins the 2012 Dixie Amateur golf tournament
Daniel Berger carded a two-under par 70, in the final round of the 2012 Dixie Amateur, to record an emphatic 13-stroke victory over Tom Loveland. The 82nd edition of tournament was being played at Heron Bay in Coral Springs.
Right from the beginning of the tournament, Berger showed his commitment to go one spot better compared to his last year’s performance – he finished second in the 2011 edition of the event.
He birdied each of the first four holes that he played on day one and recorded a similar finish by birdying each of the last three holes. Throughout the week, he conceded only four bogeys, two of which came in the final round.
Entering the final round, he held a massive nine-stroke lead over his competitors. In Friday’s difficult playing conditions, only four players managed to break the par mark, and Berger was one of them.
Early in the morning, strong winds started blowing on the course and the temperature dropped down to 20 degrees, making the playing conditions worse for the participants.
The 19-year-old sophomore at Florida State University, in the meantime, held control over his nerves and posted a decent score on the leaderboard.
Talking to the reporters after winning the tournament, he said that it was not an easy task to replicate his first-round performance. However, a two-under par score was more than enough to record an easy victory in the end.
“I knew it was not feasible for anyone to shoot 63 today,” he said. “My attitude today was make it a damage control round and try to make as many pars as I could”.
“I really wasn’t nervous at all today,” he added. “I was probably looking at bogey or double at that point (hole 12) but I chipped it in for par and that’s when I kind of knew I was going to win”.
Last year, Berger finished second on the leaderboard, after Curtis Thompson outshined him with a one-stroke margin.
This year, Thompson marked a decent start to his campaign by taking the second position on day one, after he carded a six-under par 66.
He then failed to maintain consistency in his game and finished tied for the 20th position on the leaderboard, after posting an even-par tournament score.
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