Sands holds off Cowan to win 122nd Trans-Miss Amateur Championship
By Ken MacLeod
Calling it by far the No. 1 victory of his career to date, Parker Sands of Edmond held off his neighbor and good friend Ryder Cowan and the rest of the field to win the 122nd playing of the Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championship Friday at Southern Hills Country Club.
Both players shot final rounds of 1-over 72 as Southern Hills bared its teeth with firmer greens in a stout south wind. Sands, however, was in control with a four-shot lead entering the final hole, which he played conservatively and made double bogey to win by the same margin with which he started the day. He finished at 10-under after rounds of 64-70-68-72. Cowan and Hugo Thyr finished second at 8-under.
Sands, who will be a junior at Florida in the fall, saw his two-shot lead swell to five on just the second hole when he made a birdie. Cowan hit his second shot over the green and into a depression by a foot bridge. He turned a wedge around backward to pitch out into a bunker right of the green and missed a 5-footer after the bunker shot for a double bogey.
Cowan, who will be a senior at the University of Oklahoma this fall, could have cut the deficit by two shots when Sands hit his tee shot over the green on the par-3 sixth hole leading to a double bogey. But Cowan three-putted and only trimmed the deficit by a shot. Sands then made a clutch birdie on the par-4 seventh to restore the five-shot lead.
Cowan nearly aced the par-3 11th and picked up another with a birdie on the par-5 13th when Sands settled for par. But Sands made a brilliant bunker shot to save par on the par-3 14th while Cowan made bogey and Sands made another birdie on the par-4 15th to pretty much end the suspense. Cowan picked up a shot with a birdie on the par-5 16th and the final two shots on the 18th.
“Parker is a great guy and he played really solid,” Cowan said. “We live only a few houses from each other and both play at the same club (Oak Tree National), so I was looking forward to going out and competing with him today. I love Southern Hills and really wanted to compete here but just really didn’t have my putter working all week.”
Sands, who became a solid starter for Florida in the spring season, had fallen behind Cowan in the third round Thursday, but then executed one of the most remarkable stretches of golf ever at the historic club. Starting with a hole-out for eagle from 107 yards on the par-5 13th, he went eagle-birdie-birdie-biridie-birdie on 13-17, a 6-under stretch in five holes that even with a bogey on 18 left him ahead entering the final round.
“That was pretty good,” Sands said. “I really had nothing going on the front nine,. I made a good birdie on 9, then had to pitch out of the bunker on 13 and had a perfect number. Hit a sand wedge above the hole and it spun back in for eagle. Hit a 7-iron from 200 on 14 and also a 7-iron from 150 on 15, just trying to control my spin with the wind.
“Ryder is very competitive, we both wanted to win. It was definitely intense for a bit there but I was able to keep my composure, hit the center of greens and made a few putts. I hit good wedge in on the next hole and me and my caddie had a good read on it.”
As for winning the historic amateur event, Sands said he hoped it is the first of many significant victories.
“But I’m just going to stay in the moment now and enjoy this one.”
For Cowan, it was his second runner-up finish at Southern Hills including the 2023 Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur Championship, He also won the Southern Hills Junior Masters. Both the Edmond golfers can look forward to other chances in significant events including hopefully the 2032 PGA Championship.
