On the heels of earning medalist honors at a recent U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier, Scotland Schmidt stayed hot at Los Serranos GC this weekend to snag the 2022 Public Links Championship title.
The San Diego native posted an eagle on his very first hole of the competition as part of a championship low round of seven-under 65 on Monday. After collecting two more birdies on the front and four more on the back, Schmidt had built himself a two-stroke lead. Trailing closely behind was Kyle Wilson (67) and a trio of players who shot 68 (Kevin Fitzgerald, Sean Birren and Steve McPherson) headed into the final day on Tuesday.
Switching over to Los Serannos’ par-74 South course on day two, Schmidt opened with a pair of birdies to continue his strong play. Though it was erased with three bogeys over his next five holes. He collected himself and sunk two more birdies to lower his overall score to eight-under with nine holes left.
Tongun Lako LoSarah, the defending champion, pulled to within three strokes as he made the turn thanks to five birdies on the front. Though the 2022 Match Play champion could not quite catch up to Schmidt in the end, who stayed consistent with pars on the back. Schmidt buried his final two birdies of the championship on Nos. 14 & 16 to cap his title clinching performance.
He finished at nine-under 137, good for a two-stroke victory over LoSarah, who also birdied No. 16 to close out an impressive comeback attempt. Mason Chiu, Fitzgerald and Birren (-5) finished T3 to round out the top-five
Formerly known as the PLGA Amateur Championship, Schmidt joins a worthy list of champions, and earned himself automatic exemptions into the 2022 SCGA Amateur, Mid-Amateur, Match Play and California Amateur Championships.