Aug. 9, 2012
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – University of Notre Dame junior golfer Niall Platt won his final two matches Wednesday to claim the Southern California Golf Association Match Play Championship at the Sandpiper Golf Club.
Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif./Laguna Blanca) rallied from a one-down deficit through seven holes against former Santa Clara player Ronnald Monaco in the tournament’s semifinals, winning six of the next eight holes to take the match 5 and 3. Platt played the final eight holes in five-under par.
Platt eagled the first hole of his championship match against Stewart Hagestad and led the contest wire-to-wire, closing out the Southern California senior with a par at the 17th hole for a 2 and 1 victory. Platt shot a cumulative seven-under par over 32 holes on the championship’s final day.
Platt has enjoyed a successful summer schedule, finishing fourth at the SCGA Amateur Championship in July and earning top-10s at the Sahalee Players Championship and the Pacific Northwest Amateur earlier this season. He is scheduled to be in the field at the 2012 United States Amateur Championship August 13-19 at the Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo.
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