VERO BEACH, Fla. – The final round of the 28th Amateur Public Links Championship brought no shortage of exciting comebacks and stellar play. After 54 holes of action and one playoff hole, it was Lake Mary’s Ariihau Faana who secured the title of champion at Sandridge Golf Club's Dunes Course.
Faana’s consistent play was the key to his victory. After shooting rounds of 69 and 70 on Friday and Saturday, he found himself tied for the lead with Mid-Amateur Champion Kyle Martin. Beginning his final round on Sunday, Faana quickly made par on his first two holes, setting a pattern that would define his entire round.
With Faana playing behind him, Ian Ball was poised to make a final-round charge—and he did just that. Starting the day four strokes behind, Ball quickly made up the deficit. He eagled the 2nd hole, then drained a 20-foot birdie putt on the 3rd to move within one shot. Another birdie on the 5th hole tied the lead, and Ball had gone 4-under in his last four holes, making the turn at 5-under par.
While Ball climbed into a share of the lead, Faana couldn’t get any of his putts to fall. Despite hitting beautiful approach shots, he repeatedly two-putted for par. By the time he made the turn, he had recorded nine straight pars. Though his consistent play kept him tied through nine holes, he was surely hoping for more birdies.
As Ball and Faana made the turn tied, their back-and-forth battle began. The par-5 12th hole proved to be pivotal. After making bogey on 11, Ball hit his approach to 10 feet and drained the eagle putt for a one-shot lead. Playing behind him, Faana hit his third shot just short of the green, then chipped in for birdie—regaining the lead almost immediately.
The two remained neck and neck over the next six holes, with Faana having a chance to win on 18. However, he made a costly mistake, hitting into the bunker and ultimately making bogey. As had seemed inevitable all day, the two were headed for a playoff.
In the playoff, Ball pulled his drive into the left bunker, while Faana found the right rough. Facing a difficult shot, Ball hit his approach to about 40 feet, while Faana landed his to within 15 feet. After Ball missed his birdie putt, Faana seized the moment, draining his putt to win on the first playoff hole. A look of relief came over his face as the ball dropped—it was his first birdie made with the putter all round.
“It felt great to finally make that birdie putt. That was my first putting birdie of the day—my only other one was a chip-in. But that was awesome, knowing that I made it when it counted.”
— Ariihau Faana, after winning with a birdie on the first playoff hole
With this victory, Ariihau Faana earns an exemption into this year’s Amateur Match Play Championship and next year’s Amateur Championship.
