Justin Shin acknowledges the cheers of the crowd gathered around the ninth tee en route to his winning the 51st Northeast Amateur in a three-hole playoff Saturday, June 23. Photo by Mike Rego.
EAST PROVIDENCE ? Jordan Russell led the 51st Northeast Amateur Invitational golf tournament for 71 holes and three shots, but couldn?t close the deal as Justin Shin rallied with a birdie on the 18th hole to tie and eventually won the noteworthy championship in a three-hole playoff during yet another round played in sweltering weather conditions at Rumford?s Wannamoisett Country Club Saturday, June 23.
Russell, who led after three rounds and took a two-stroke lead into the 18th hole Saturday, tugged his approach shot to the last. The ball sat down in the rough to the left of the green. He hit a fine chip, but missed the four-foot par putt to clinch the title.
In the group prior, Shin stuck a wedge approach from about 120 yards to a similar four-foot distance. As soon as Shin hit the shot he knew it was flush. He spun the club in his hands and quickly walked after the ball. The New Mexico State player then calmly sank the birdie putt to finish regulation at 7-under par.
"I had a lot of confidence this last day. I had a lot of confidence this whole week, really," said Shin, who just finished his junior season for the Aggies. "I hit the ball good and my putting was good."
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To start the three-hole aggregate playoff, both players had wedge into the par 4 first. Shin again was dialed in, nearly holing his approach. He was left with a two-and-a-half-footer for birdie, which, like he did on 18, he drained.
Russell, obviously flustered from his 18th hole mishap, pulled his birdie putt from about 12 feet to the left. Making matters even worse, he missed the short come-backer for par to fall two shots behind.
Playing the par 3 eighth hole next, Shin left his tee shot about 30 feet below the flag. Russell, needing to go after the pin, fanned his tee shot short and right into a green-side bunker. He couldn?t get up-and-down while Shin made par, giving the latter an extremely comfortable three-shot cushion heading to the ninth hole, the last of the playoff.
"I had some pressure during the playoff. All of the people watching us," Shin, a British Columbia native, said.
Shin?s drive flew right down the middle of the fairway. Russell found sand once more, reaching a trap down the left-hand side. Both players would reach the green in two. Shin two-putted from about 20 feet to secure the championship.
Russell entered the final round with a two-stroke lead at 7-under. Shin was four off the pace at 3-under par. Russell seemingly took command during the final round, when he birdied four of five holes from the sixth to the 10th to reach 10-under. Three bogeys, including the one at the last, proved his undoing, however.
Shin, in contrast, made five birdies to just one bogey during his final round 65. His chances of winning seemed slim when he slipped to 6-under after making a bogey on the par three 15th. He followed with two pars before his heroics on the last eventually led to the tie. He then dominated a still-reeling Russell in the playoff.
"This is a great win for me. I'm loving this moment," Shin added.
Michael Hebert and Brandon Hagy each finished at 3-under par for the tournament to share third place. Bruce Woodall, Zac Blair, Bobby Wyatt, Rick Lamb and Tim Jackson finished in a tie for fifth at 2-under.
To view more final round photos click the following link...
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