Ryan Abbate Wins Florida State Amateur Championship

[MrMustang1965]

WEST PALM BEACH · Ryan Abbate of Fort Lauderdale said he couldn't remember the last time he won a golf tournament, but he played the 88th annual Florida State Amateur Championship like a seasoned campaigner, leading from beginning to end and winning by four shots Sunday at Bear Lakes Country Club.

"I honestly can't remember the last tournament I won," Abbate said after taking a few moments to try and come up with an answer to the question.

A 1999 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas and a 2003 graduate of Southern Methodist University, Abbate opened with a 6-under-par 66 on the adjacent Links course, then shot 69-72-70 on the 7,386-yard Lakes course for an 11-under 277.

Ty Harris of Longwood, the 2002 champion, started the final round in second but five shots behind, got to within three twice with birdies at the 10th and 14th holes before finishing at 69-281. Harris, 22, who will graduate from Georgia State in December, had six birdies and a bogey on his first 13 holes.

"I just got off to a bad start on the Links [with a 74 on Thursday] but I came back pretty well after that," Harris said.

Mike Nealy of Boca Raton, who played in the final group with Abbate and Harris, was third at 75-287.

"I just wish I could have been more than a spectator today," Nealy said, "but Ryan has a tremendous short game, the best I've ever played against."

No one else was under par for the distance.

Abbate, 24, birdied three of the four par-5 holes and bogeyed the par-4 15th.

"My goal today was to make 18 pars and have fun," he said. "It was just a good day all around."

[giacfsp]

Congratulations, Ryan! Keep it up!
Somewhere Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh are sweating bullets.