Foothill’s Montgomery wins Southern Nevada Amateur

Taylor Montgomery is on a nice little run.

The sophomore from Foothill recently won the Sunrise Region and Class 4A state golf tournaments. On Sunday, he won his first Southern Nevada Golf Association "major," making birdie on the first playoff hole to beat Kelly Knievel at Legacy Golf Club and win the Southern Nevada Amateur.

"It feels good to win," said Montgomery, 17. "I've been working a lot on my short game, and that's what saved me."

Montgomery had a two-shot lead entering Sunday's second and final round. But with the winds gusting on a warm spring day, he had a hard time keeping the ball in the fairway. Montgomery shot a 5-over-par 77, opening the door for Knievel to make a run.

Knievel, son of the legendary daredevil Evel Knievel, made an eagle at the par-5 17th to help him to a 3-over 75. He had played the first six holes of his back nine to 3 over before the eagle gave Knievel a chance.

But that chance was short-lived. Montgomery was 130 yards out at the par-4, 404-yard No. 1 when he hit a wedge on his second shot to within eight inches of the hole.

Knievel was unable to match, as Montgomery tapped in for birdie and the win.

"It was hard out there," said Montgomery, whose father, Monte, is the head pro at Shadow Creek and caddied for him. "I just tried to keep it on the golf course, but I didn't do as good a job as I should have."

It was tough for the 65-player field, as no one broke par. Joe Sawaia came the closest, shooting par 72.

But Montgomery, one of the youngest players in the field, had enough to come through in the clutch. He had lost the Las Vegas City Amateur last year in a playoff and admitted that was on his mind when he teed off in Sunday's playoff.

"I didn't want that to happen again," he said.