SURPRISE, Arizona – BYU men’s golfer Cooper Jones ended 2023 by winning the Thunderbolt Invitational after firing off rounds of 66-66-68–200 for a 16-under par total.
The tournament was spread across three days at Sterling Grove Golf and Country Club with a field of 72 college golfers from across the country.
"I was able to score well as I limited my bogeys to only one or two each day, so my birdies counted," said Jones. "I kept the momentum going by making a few medium-sized putts. I never really missed in the wrong spot, so I didn’t have to stress too much, which kept my confidence going. Coming from Utah and not being able to practice or play outside, I was pleased with my chipping and ball striking. Overall, it was fun to come from the snow and make some birdies to get the job done."
Jones birdied 21 holes, only carding five bogeys throughout the tournament, to secure the win by three strokes against James Imai of Northwestern.
The Thunderbolt Invitational is a secondary tournament within the Patriot All-America Invitational. Invitations to participate in the 54-hole stroke play tournament are from the Golf Coaches Association of America. They are given to collegiate golfers who are ranked 200-400 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings.