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Mac Meissner Cruises To Three-Shot Win; Canada’s Joey Savoie Finishes 2nd In Forme Tour Debut

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Category: Inside Golf
Published: 2021-07-24

BOLINGBROOK, Illinois — Mac Meissner began the Bolingbrook Golf Club Invitational final round with a five-shot lead, and he said his aim was to win big. He moved ahead by seven on the back nine, and was ready to make good on his goal. Meissner eventually saw his lead shrink to two shots before he buried a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win the by three strokes over Canada’s Joey Savoie, who was making his Forme Tour debut. In the process, Meissner, a college student seven weeks ago, moved to the top of the Forme Tour Points List standings, taking a four-point lead over Philip Knowles through three tournaments. Meissner shot a 1-under 71 on the final day to finish at 21-under.

Meissner was clearly the best player this week at Bolingbrook Golf Club, taking the 36-hole lead, shooting a third-round 63 to seize control and then never surrendering the lead despite a few anxious moments.

“I just kept putting myself in spots, especially in 13, 14 and 15, where I had a tough time either two-putting or getting up and down,” Meissner said of his bogey-bogey-bogey stretch that saw his lead shrink.

After tugging his drive left on No. 16 and hitting his approach shot into the greenside bunker on the par-4, Meissner blasted to five feet and drained the par putt to end the bad streak. “I think that calmed me down. I felt pretty comfortable coming in.”

Without on-course scoreboards, Meissner periodically checked his phone on the PGA TOUR app. “I was making sure that nothing crazy was happening or that I needed to do anything special,” he said.

After making a par at No. 17, and standing on the 18th tee, he didn’t need to check his phone as Meissner’s caddie notified him of his two-stroke advantage.

“We were thinking of hitting 3-iron off the tee, but there’s a left bunker that would have been tough to carry with a 3-iron,” Meissner explained. “We just decided to bang a 3-wood up there, and I fit it into this tiny sliver on the fairway. I left myself an easy 54(-degree wedge) downwind and a straight uphill putt.”

On the green, he read what would be his final stroke of the tournament as “dead straight” and poured it in for the final victory margin. “It was nice to have that two-shot cushion going into that last hole. I think I felt a lot more comfortable,” he added.

Savoie, playing in the group ahead and in the field by virtue of a sponsor’s exemption, did everything he could to put pressure on Meissner, including holing out from the fairway on No. 1 for an eagle. Beginning the day seven behind, he made it to 5-under through seven holes and was on a roll. From there, however, the Canadian was even-par the rest of the way, with three bogeys and three birdies.

“If you make the podium at the Olympics, you should be pretty happy,” Savoie said of his runner-up showing. “Thanks to the Forme Tour for giving me a sponsor’s exemption. I was able to make the best of it. In a way, I’m happy with the result even if I came up a little short.”

Did you know Justin Doeden, who started his college career at Cardinal Stritch in Milwaukee before transferring to the University of Minnesota, was a high school hockey player playing for Lakeville South High? “While I knew my limitations in hockey, I’ve never really had the thought in golf that I can’t do this,” he said.

Key Information

Points List Standings
Through Bolingbrook Golf Club Invitational

Pos. Player (Country) Points

1

Mac Meissner (U.S.)

546.00

2

Philip Knowles (U.S.)

542.00

3

Samuel Saunders (U.S.)

500.00

4

Clay Feagler (U.S.)

430.00

5

Trevor Werbylo (U.S.)

423.00

6

Luke Schniederjans (U.S.)

317.00

7

Joey Savoie (Canada)

300.00

8

Carter Jenkins (U.S.)

291.00

9

Justin Doeden (U.S.)

255.00

10

Alex Smalley (U.S.)

221.00

• Mac Meissner became the second player to convert a 54-hole lead into a win this season. At the Auburn University Club Invitational, Philip Knowles was a stroke ahead through three rounds and went on to win.

• In the final PGA TOUR University standings, Mac Meissner finished eighth to earn 2021 Forme Tour membership. All the SMU graduate has done in his first three starts as a Forme Tour pro is make the cut in all three tournaments and record a victory.

• Michael Feagles finished a spot ahead of Mac Meissner on the PGA TOUR University standings. The former University of Illinois player had his best showing of the season, playing not far from his college home. Feagles shot four under-par rounds, including a final-round, 4-under 68, to tie for 10th with seven others.

• No. 9 in the PGA TOUR University standings, Trevor Werbylo continues to impress, making his second top-10 of the year. He shot a 4-under 68 Friday to move into a tie for sixth with Andrew Yun, Dylan Meyer and Matt McCarty. He lost in a playoff at the L&J Golf Championship at Jennings Mill Country Club and tied for 25th in Auburn, Alabama. With his 68, his final-round scoring average went up. His average is 68.33, with a 66 and a 65 to go with his 4-under final-day showing.

• With his victory, Mac Meissner has held the end-of-round lead five times in 12 Forme Tour rounds this season. He was the 18- and 36-hole leader at the Auburn University Club Invitational then led after the second and third rounds this week culminated by his win Friday.

• With scores of 67-67-69-67, Joey Savoie was the only player to post four sub-70 rounds this week.

• The low round of the day came courtesy of Carter Jenkins, with a 6-under 66. The University of North Carolina product was 7-under through 12 holes of his final round before a bogey at No. 13 dropped him back. He then parred his final five. His strong finish still allowed him to move up 21 leaderboard positions and into the top 10 on the Points List (No. 8).

• Seventeen players recorded four under-par rounds this week: champion Mac Meissner, Joey Savoie, Carter Jenkins, Jake Scott, Trevor Werbylo, Michael Feagles, Keller Harper, Bryan Carlson, Briggs Duce, Thomas Lim, Alex Schaake, Charlie Netzel, Isaiah Salinda, Joseph Harrison, Andrew Dorn, Andrew McCain and Sam Fidone.

• Luke Schniederjans and Clay Feagler both had shots at making their third consecutive top-10s this season, but Schniederjans had a bogey-bogey-bogey finish to tumble into a tie for 18th, at 11-under. Feagler began the day tied for 24th, shot a 1-under 71 and remained in that same position.

• Mac Meissner’s 26 birdies this week led the field and ties him with Steven Fisk, Philip Knowles and Luke Schniederjans for the second-most birdies in a tournament in 2021. Sam Saunders, at the L&J Golf Championship at Jennings Mill Country Club, the season-opener, made 27 birdies on his way to the win.

• The par-3 13th was the most-difficult hole in the final round (3.375) and the toughest overall. Only two players made birdies there Friday. The easiest hole was the par-5 10th, playing to a 4.389 stroke average. Two of the four eagles on the day came there. Overall, the 10th hole was easiest all week (4.391).

Quotable

“I’m obviously super excited. It was a blast this week.” –Mac Meissner

“It’s great to get off to such a good start after graduating from college. It puts me in a great position going into the last five tournaments of the season.” –Mac Meissner

“Scoreboard watching doesn’t bother me that much. I’ve done it before. It doesn’t really put too much pressure on myself. It helps motivate me and shows me what I need to do to finish.” –Mac Meissner on keeping track of the scores on the back nine

“I shortsided myself, quite frankly with a few long-iron shots, a few errant shots. On 11 and 13, I made some bad swings. It just happens in golf.” –Joey Savoie on his three-bogey-in-five-hole stretch that was ultimately his undoing
“It was a solid week. I had a really good start. It would have been fun to go a little lower. I’m pleased with the3 way I putted, the way I chipped and the way I grinded to make par.” –Joey Savoie

“There’s a lot of positive coming out of this week.” –Joey Savoie

Final-Round Weather:
Sunny and warm. High of 89. Wind variable at 7-9 mph.

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