Josele Ballester picked a good place to pick up his first collegiate victory.
The senior at Arizona State made pars on his final two holes Sunday morning to hold on and win the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational, one of the top events of the season, at Olympia Fields Country Club in Illinois.
Because of Sunday’s weather forecast, the teams played 36 holes on Saturday in an attempt to finish the tournament. However, Ballester’s group had two holes remaining before play was suspended due to darkness on Saturday, so he and a few others returned early Sunday to finish in the rain.
Ballester, the 2024 U.S. Amateur champion, finished at 10 under for the week, tying the 54-hole record at the event. He topped Georgia Tech’s Benjamin Reuter by one shot for the individual title.
Reuter and the Yellow Jackets aren’t going home empty handed, though. Georgia Tech captured the team title for its first win since 2023, beating ASU by a shot, with Reuter placing runner-up, 2024 NCAA individual champion Hiroshi Tai T-6 and Carson Kim and Kale Fontenot finishing T-28.
Oklahoma State and North Carolina tied for third at 1 under, 11 shots behind Georgia Tech.
Florida State junior Luke Clanton made his collegiate debut this weekend, shooting 3 under to tie for sixth.
