Pittsford, N.Y. – Adding his biggest accomplishment to an already successful calendar 2022, Georgia Tech’s Bartley Forrester holed out for an eagle on the 17th hole to protect a dwindling lead and completed a three-stroke victory at the 81st Monroe Invitational.
Forrester finished the tournament with an 11-under-par total of 269 for the four-round event. Ohio State senior Jackson Chandler used a late charge to finish three shots back at 8-under 272, while Rutgers senior Luke Wells finished third at 7-under 273.
The Yellow Jacket rising senior had put together rounds of 69-65-64 in the first three rounds to build a six-stroke lead entering the final day. But he was 3-over for his round through 16 holes Saturday, and his lead had shrunk to just one after Chandler made birdie at the par-3 16th.
Forrester stepped to the tee at 17, a par-4 measuring 407 yards, and hit a solid drive, then jarred his wedge from 72 yards out for an eagle 2, restoring his lead to three shots after Chandler made par. Both players parred the 18th.
“That shot (on 17) won the tournament for me essentially,” said Forrester, ranked 113th according to World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). “I kind of let the lead slip away on the back nine, so I knew I needed to make something happen on the final two holes. I’ve hit that drive really well all week and I just stood up and crushed one down the middle.
“I’d say my wedge game has probably been the strength of my game. So I had a good number in. I was trying to skip it, probably land it seven, eight feet short and bounce it up there, but it ended up just flying right in the cup. I don’t know if I’ve flown a wedge in like that before, so it was pretty cool.”
Said Chandler, whose final-round 68 was one of just four sub-par scores on Saturday: “I hit my approach on 17 to about 12 feet and then he flew his approach into the hole. It was cool to see, but kind of bittersweet.”