IU golfer wins Indiana Amateur Championship

Senior Nicholas Grubnich won the Indiana Amateur Championship this weekend, shooting eight under par throughout the four days to take the crown.

Grubnich is the first Hoosier to win the Indiana Amateur Championship since current PGA golfer Jeff Overton in 2004.

“It means a lot to win a prestigious tournament like this and see my name up there with some of the other great golfers that have come from the state of Indiana,” Grubnich said. “When I look back on this a few years down the road, it will be something that I am proud of.”

Grubnich beat former teammate David Mills, who graduated from IU this May, by three shots. Mills finished the second in the tournament with a score of five under par.

Three other Hoosiers, all sophomores, finished in the top 20. Will Seger finished ninth and Keegan Vea tied for 18th with Andrew Havill.

Grubnich posted scores of 69, 69, 70 and 72 during the weekend at Purgatory Golf Course in Noblesville, Ind., never posting a round above par.

The Crown Point, Ind., native finished seventh at the 2014 Big Ten Championships in May. He led wire-to-wire in the Indiana Amateur Championship.

“The first 36 holes, I was hitting a lot of fairways and greens and was able to get a couple putts to drop,” Grubnich said. “But the last 36 holes, I had to use my short game to save me a couple times and keep the positive momentum all the way through to the end.”

Evan Hoopfer