Kennesaw State junior Jake Fendt carded a final-round 2-under par 70 to cap a solid weekend and tie for third place at the prestigious Jones Cup Invitational that concluded Sunday at the par-72, 7,321-yard Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Ga.
Fendt produced rounds of 70-73-70 for a 3-under total of 213 to finish one shot behind Grant Barber (LSU commit) and Theo Humphrey (Vanderbilt), who tied for first at 4-under par 212. Barber went on to defeat Humphrey in a playoff to capture the title.
It took a pair of exceptional rounds by Barber (66) and Humphrey (67) to edge Fendt, who led after the first two rounds and finished tied with Jackson Suber (Ole Miss recruit).
The Owls’ junior got off to a hot start on Sunday, producing birdies on his first two holes before posting bogeys on holes 3 and 4. After a par on No. 5 and birdie on No. 6, Fendt closed his opening nine with par, eagle, bogey to conclude his front nine with a 2-under 34. He began his back side with a birdie on No. 10 and recorded five straight pars, before posting a bogey on the par-4 16th hole, and registering pars on No. 17 and 18.
The Jones Cup Invitational annually features one of the top amateur fields of the year, and is played on a course that is widely regarded as one of the toughest tests in the amateur game. Only eight players had broken par for 54 holes in 12 previous playings of the Jones Cup at the Ocean Forest Club.
Fendt was one of just four players in the 72-man field to complete the 54-hole event under par, and finished ahead of three players ranked among the world’s top seven amateurs, including No. 1-ranked Braden Thornberry (Ole Miss), who tied for eighth. Humphrey is the world’s third-ranked amateur.
Past winners of the Jones Cup Invitational include FedExCup champion Justin Thomas (2012), Patrick Reed (2010), two-time TOUR winner Kyle Stanley (2009) and PGA TOUR rookies Beau Hossler and Corey Connors.
Fendt, who competed in the event in 2016, is one of six Kennesaw State players to compete in the Jones Cup Invitational, joining Matt Nagy (2011, 2012), Jeff Karlsson (2012), Jimmy Beck (2013, 2014, 2015) and Teremoana Beaucousin (2015).
After a successful fall season that included a pair of runner-up finishes and a No. 46 Golfstat ranking, Kennesaw State will open its spring schedule at the Mobile Sports Authority Collegiate Invitational in Mobile, Ala. on Feb. 12.
