Gutierrez Goes Wire-to-Wire; Wins 104th Open Championship presented by Donnelly Industries
EDISON, N.J. - It was a gutsy victory for Derek Gutierrez on Thursday as he claimed the 104th New Jersey Open Championship presented by Donnelly Industries, winning by three strokes at Plainfield Country Club. He’s the first amateur to win since Mark Costanza won in 2020.
Gutierrez, 18, marks the youngest champion since Max Greyserman won in 2014 at Essex County Country Club. He also becomes only the 14th amateur to win the storied major championship.
“It feels great,” Gutierrez first said. “It hasn't really sunk in yet, but it's a big relief. It was a lot of fun out there. The win gives me a lot of confidence going into my next tournament and into the fall season at Rutgers.”
Going into the day, the Rutgers University rising sophomore owned a five-stroke lead. Despite the significant lead, the win didn’t come without some challenges. He struggled on the front nine, carding bogeys on two of his first three holes.
“I was missing it right all day,” Gutierrez added. “I was trying to take one shot at a time. I knew I had a little bit of a cushion, so I wasn't too crazy, but I just tried to stay patient like I said earlier this this week."
On the back nine, 2023 Amateur Champion Jack Wall made a run, clocking birdies at 12 and 13 to get within one stroke of Gutierrez, who bogeyed 10 and 13. Gutierrez bounced back, draining a much-needed 18-foot putt for birdie on 17.
Despite an errant drive on 18, Gutierrez remained poised, getting on the green in regulation. He lagged his birdie putt within tap-in range. Gutierrez capped off his victory with a par on 18 and a collective applause erupted from the crowd.
The Cranford native had a group of family and friends in tow. Noah Kumar, a fellow Rutgers University teammate served as his caddie throughout the week.
“He helped a lot,” Gutierrez expressed. “He kept me in and stayed calm. We're close buddies, we joked a lot, had fun, kept it loose, which helped me kind of come down the stretch and not trying to put too much pressure on myself, so he was a big help.”
Gutierrez was the runner-up in the 2023 W.Y. Dear Junior Championship. He credits his first year on The Banks to the boost in his game.
“My two coaches, Robert Shutte and Oliver Whatley definitely helped me progress and get better,” Gutierrez added. “I learned a lot from that State Junior and tried to use what I learned and put it to play today and that fortunately got the job done.”
2023 Open Champion Brent Paladino finished as the top profesional. He finished in third overall, carding a 2-under par 70 on Thursday.
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