2017 Masters: What’s Next for the Amateurs?
By Gary Healy
Toto Gana, Latin American Amateur Champion
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Latin American Amateur Champion Toto Gana got off to a much better start than the other amateurs in the 2017 Masters field, but was unable to keep up that pace of play for the rest of his tournament.
Gana started off his tournament with two straight pars, but then the bogeys started coming and never seemed to stop.
Gana shot a two round score of 161, the splits being an 80 and an 81, nowhere near good enough to make the cut this week. Gana had the same GIR numbers as Gregory at the 39%, a serious decrease from his FIR numbers, which ended up at 64%. ANGC is a second shot golf course, and players must be able to hit greens to score on this course.
Then, after having trouble making the greens, he was averaging close to 2 putts per hole, showing a serious deficiency in his ability to scramble. At first, it seemed he had his nerves under control, but as his tournament progressed, his lack of experience began to show.
Much like the other Amateurs, Gana is a very solid player, so hopefully after getting his first big tournament under his belt he can move forward and someday make it back to Augusta.
Whether they eventually turn pro or not, we’ll have the chance to get another look at Curtis Luck, Brad Dalke, and Scott Gregory. Their various amateur championship titles got their tickets punched to the US Open, June 15-18 at Erin Hills as well as the 2017 Masters Tournament. Let’s see if they can improve their Major championship performance now that they’ve cut their teeth on Augusta National.