LIVE SCORING: Southern Amateur Championship at Blessings Golf Club
Endicott surges into solo lead at Southern Amateur
After two days at the demanding Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, Arkansas, Garrett Endicott has taken the solo lead at the 119th Southern Amateur Championship with rounds of 68-67 (-9). The Mississippi State standout birdied five times on Thursday en route to a bogey-free 34 on the front and a closing birdie at the par-4 18th to cap his 67.
Endicott leads by two strokes over Round 1 leader Sihan Sandhu, who followed up his sizzling 64 with a second-round 73. Sandhu sits at -7, with a trio of players—Ethan Evans (68-71), Jay Mendell (70-69), and Wells Williams (73-67)—tied at -5.
📊 Top 10 Leaderboard (36 Holes)Garrett Endicott –9 (68–67)Sihan Sandhu –7 (64–73)Ethan Evans –5 (68–71)Jay Mendell –5 (70–69)Wells Williams –4 (73–67)Mitchell Ford –4 (70–70)Taishi Moto –4 (70–70)Cameron Tankersley –3 (74–67)Ryan Voois –3 (70–71)John Daly II –3 (70–71)✂️ Projected Cut: +3
The projected cut line after two rounds is +3 (147), with several notable names sitting right on the bubble or just outside. Among those currently outside the cut are Parker Bell (+4), Baylor Larrabee (+4), and Matthew Kress (+5).
🎯 Spotlight: Garrett Endicott
Endicott, a 6’3″ junior from San Antonio, Texas, has steadily emerged as one of the top collegiate players in the country. Representing Mississippi State, he has recorded 29 career rounds in the 60s—third-most in program history—and enters the Southern Amateur following a year of standout results:
2nd – Desert Mountain Intercollegiate (2025)T6 – Mason Rudolph Championship (2025)7th – Sunnehanna Amateur (2025)T19 – Northeast Amateur (2025)2024 U.S. Amateur QualifierT4 – 2024 NCAA Regional (best finish in MSU history)
He’s earned multiple PING All-Region honors, was named 2025 SEC Golfer of the Week in March, and ranks top-5 all-time at MSU in par-or-better rounds. With a steady demeanor and plenty of birdie firepower, Endicott is well positioned heading into the weekend as he seeks the biggest amateur title of his career.
📅 What’s Next
Play resumes Friday at Blessings with Round 3.
Stay tuned for round-by-round highlights and leaderboard updates as the South’s premier amateur event unfolds.
2025 Championship Overview
JOHNSON, AR (July 15, 2025) – 156 top-ranked golfers will travel to Johnson, Arkansas to compete for the 119th Southern Amateur Championship title from July 16–19, 2025. The field is represented by over 33 states and territories and 11 countries. 76 of the top 300 amateurs in the world are set to compete, including Jase Summy (ranked ninth) and Josiah Gilbert (ranked tenth) in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. 2024 Southern Junior Champion Tyler Sanford of Montgomery, TX and 2025 Southern Junior Champion Bailey Sutter of Vinemont, AL will also tee it up this week. Receiving 979 entries in 2025, ranging from past champions to first-time players, the field is set for the best amateurs in the world to compete on the Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed course that was recently redesigned by noted architect Kyle Phillips.
Championship Links: Starting Times (Round 1) | Scoring & Results | Championship Website | Southern Amateur Spectator Guide | Photo Gallery
2025 Venue Preview: The Challenge of Blessings Golf Club
This year marks the 119th playing of the Southern Amateur Championship and the first time that Blessings Golf Club has hosted it. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and recently redesigned by Kyle Phillips, Blessings is renowned for dramatic elevation changes, sprawling bunkers, tight landing zones, and lightning-fast, undulating greens. Players must navigate blind shots, forced carries, and a routing that demands discipline. The course is designed to test the full spectrum of a player’s game—and it’s notorious for punishing mental mistakes.
Situated in the Ozarks near Fayetteville, Arkansas, Blessings has hosted NCAA Championships, with its exacting layout exposing even elite collegiate fields. Expect winning scores here to reward strategic plotting over raw aggression.
Championship Facts:
Yardage: 7586 yards (Par 36-36–72)
Course/Slope Rating: 78.8/155
Championship Format
72 holes of stroke play with a 36-hole cut to the low 50 and ties. The lowest score for 72 holes will be the Champion. In the event of a tie, a “sudden-death” hole-by-hole playoff will be held immediately following play. The order of playoff holes will be determined by the Rules Committee. Initial groupings will be for the first two rounds; the field will be regrouped by score after each cut.
Eligibility and Exemptions
Entries are open to any male golfer with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4 under the World Handicap System as of the close of entries. Players extended a Bobby Jones Invitation by the SGA Amateur Competition Committee are exempt from sectional qualifying.
About the Southern Amateur Championship
First played in 1902 at Nashville Golf & Country Club in Nashville, Tennessee, the Southern Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious amateur tournaments in the world. A.F. Schwartz of New Orleans defeated Percy Whitling 4 and 2 to win the inaugural event. Charles Howell III of Augusta, Georgia holds the record for most championships with three wins (1994–1996). The Championship was not played in 1918 due to World War I and 1942–1945 during World War II. The format was changed from match play to stroke play in 1964.
Recent champions include Nick Gabrelick (2023 at The Honors Course) and Wenyi Ding of China (2024 at Idle Hour Country Club in Lexington, KY) with a record 262 (-18). Ding became the first Chinese player—and just the fourth international player—to win the Southern Amateur.
The Elite Amateur Golf Series
2025 also marks the fourth year of the Elite Amateur Golf Series (EAGS), designed to challenge “the best of the best” in amateur golf. EAGS aligns the top amateur championships in a collective competition, the Elite Amateur Cup. In addition to the Southern Amateur, the Series includes the Sunnehanna Amateur, Northeast Amateur, North & South Amateur, Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Pacific Coast Amateur, and Western Amateur. Visit the EAGS website for more information.
Player Field and International Flavor
The 2025 field draws talent from over 33 states and territories and 11 countries—including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, France, Mexico, Morocco, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Japan. The roster features decorated collegiate players, state amateur champions, international standouts, and rising junior stars—promising an elite, diverse competition worthy of the championship’s storied history.
Check back daily for updated scores, round recaps, and highlights as competition intensifies.
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As this championship unfolds, we’ll bring daily updates, interviews, and analysis of the field. Bookmark this hub, follow the leaderboard, and join us in celebrating the traditions—and the future—of elite amateur golf.
