Thelen wins Amanali Classic in Mexico
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Written by PGA TOUR
TEPEJI DEL RÍO, Hidalgo, Mexico – Trailing by one at the start of the third and final round, Joel Thelen birdied four of the last seven holes Saturday to post a 5-under 67 for a two-shot win over Emilio González at the Amanali Classic. The opening event of the Mexican Tour season was co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s Dev Series.
“I feel great. I have come close a couple of times, so to finish strong and get it done feels really good,” said Thelen, a 32-year old from Hudson Oaks, Texas, who finished at 19-under 197. He called this his first significant victory in ten years as a professional player.
After finishing his first season as a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica player ranked 22nd on the Totalplay Cup standings last June, Thelen made it to Amanali in top shape. He was also coming off consecutive runner-up finishes at the Greater Cedar Rapids Open and the Texas State Open in July.
Starting his fifth full season on the Mexican Tour, the 32-year old from Hudson Oaks, Texas, was the only foreigner to finish inside the top-10 at Amanali Country Club & Náutica, a venue located 50 miles north of Mexico City.
Emilio González went birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie between holes 5 and 10 on his way to a final-round-low 64 that secured him runner-up honors at 17-under for the week.
Trailing the winner by four, Rodolfo Cazaubón and Sebastián Vázquez finished in a tie for third. Vázquez held the outright lead for the first 36 holes, firing rounds of 62-67, but he slowed down to a closing 72. Roberto Rodríguez Cacho finished solo fifth at 12-under.
The Mexican Tour’s Amanali Classic was only the second event of the 2022-23 Dev Series season, which began last month with the Colombia Open.
Featuring events from the top domestic Tours across Latin America, the Dev Series grants access to the leading five players from each event into a final tournament that awards PGA TOUR Latinoamérica status for the following season.
The next two events on the schedule will be the Andrés Romero Invitational in Termas de Río Hondo, Argentina (August 30-September 3) and the Ecuador Open in Quito, Ecuador (September 5-11).
