It’s almost as if Brandon Mancheno was iced like a kicker would be in a football game when the opposing coach calls timeout right before the game-winning field goal.
Mancheno, a rising junior at Auburn, was tied for first place Friday at the Dogwood Invitational with Memphis junior Isaiah Jackson at 20 under par with his ball 45 feet away from the cup on the 17th hole. Then, the rain came down.
Dogwood officials at Druid Hills Golf Club halted play, and less than an hour later, Mancheno was back on the course. He two-shot on 17 and managed to make par. He marched to 18, drove off the tee and two shots later found his ball near the bunker. From there, he got it in the green and sank an 8-feet putt to claim the title.
“Relief,” Mancheno said of his feeling after seeing the ball go in. “That’s nice I don’t have to go out and play anymore holes.”
The victory was Mancheno’s third amateur championship, but he considers it his biggest. Other than the delay, this win also was different because it was the first time he had to shoot better than 20 under to win.
Mancheno describes his play style as “aggressive,” and he noted the greens set up nicely at the Dogwood, so his key to winning was getting successful wedges and putting consistently. He and his caddie, Logan Epstein, who works at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, went into each day of the tournament with a goal of being 2 under par before every back nine.
For the most part, the plan worked. Mancheno was 1 under before the back nine the first round, 4 under the second round, 2 under the third, and 3 under Friday.
“(Today) he just started to roll some putts,” Epstein said. “(It feels) honestly unbelievable.”
Mancheno was at or near the top every round. Even Thursday, when Alex Ross shot a 57 -- tying the amateur world record and setting the Dogwood and Druid Hills Golf Club records – Mancheno still was within reach.
At every hole was his mother, Andrea Mancheno, who walked the course every day to watch her son. Her husband and Mancheno’s father, Robert Mancheno, is his swing coach who’s helped him recently with his driving, but he was unable to make it this week.
Andrea Mancheno said the family has missed at most two tournaments this past year, including the collegiate schedule.
“It feels amazing,” Andrea Mancheno said. “All the hard works pays off. … I’m very proud because he’s dedicated.”
Mancheno’s summer plans include playing in the Sunnehanna Amateur tournament in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, next week. After that, he plans to play in the Northeast Amateur Invitational in Rumford, Rhode Island, and The Players Amateur in Bluffton, South Carolina, with hopes of qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
“It’s big for me going forward,” Mancheno said. “It’s a good way to start off the summer … just a good confidence booster.”
