MONTEGO BAY – With a one-under par 71 in the third and final round of Jamaica's 2020 National Amateur Golf Championship, Elon University men's golf alum William Knibbs captured his first career national title back on Sunday, July 19. The three-day championship was held at the Half Moon Golf Course in Montego Bay.
 

A 2017 Elon graduate with a bachelor's degree in accounting, Knibbs opened play with a one-over 73 before carding a plus-two 74 in the second round. It was his final round, the only under-par round of the tournament, that helped him clinch the national title by four strokes with a combined 218 (+2).

"I knew going into the round that Justin Burrowes was ahead of me by one stroke and Sebert Walker, Jr. was ahead of me by two. So by the time we finished the ninth hole, I was one behind Sebert and one ahead of Justin. From there, it was almost like I just found something and went in autopilot. I just kept hitting smart shots and they started making mistakes down the stretch."

The win was even more special as Knibbs had finished in the top-two in the previous three years at the championship, including a pair of playoff finishes and once by a single stroke.

"I knew that I was good enough to win it. It's almost like a sense of relief or validation that I finally did win it."

Knibbs started off the year at the Latin American Amateur Championship, held at the El Camaleon Golf Club in Mayakoba, Mexico on Jan. 16-19. He did not make the cut, finishing tied for 58th with a two-round total of 157. At the Scientific & Medical Supplies (SMS) Golf Classic in February, a three-under par 69 in the first round helped the Kingston, Jamaica native win by one stroke. Playing at the Caymanas Golf Club, he added a second round of 79 to finish with a combined 148.

"One of the good things about golf being a non-contact sport is that we didn't halt play," said Knibbs. "We looked at what some of the other leading golf organizations in the world were doing to combat the pandemic and we followed suit. I was able to start practicing again and in the build up to the tournament, over the last two or three months, I really started putting in extra hours each week just to get myself to playing shape." He added that in playing against those larger fields, "It just helped me see where my game would stack up against not only local players, but the bigger field in general. Just being able to compete more and with more people. it really helps you get an idea of how good you actually are."
 
Since graduating, Knibbs works at his family's company while continuing to compete in the Amateur Tour. Moving forward, he hopes to win the Jamaican Open as well as the Caribbean Championships. Previously, he'd tied for sixth in the Cayman Islands and tied for fourth in the Dominican Republic. He also has his sights on winning the Latin American Amateur and earning an invitation to the Masters.