Ex-Coronado star Michael Sarro wins Nevada State Amateur

If Michael Sarro had any butterflies about sleeping on the lead entering the final round of the Nevada State Amateur Championship, he put them to rest immediately Sunday.

Sarro birdied three of his first four holes to put his competitors in the rearview mirror and coasted to a three-shot victory at Reflection Bay Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas.

The 2019 Coronado High School graduate shot a final-round 66 to finish at 12-under 204, three shots better than Hazen Newman and four ahead of Ben Sawaia.

It capped a near-perfect weekend for Sarro, who made his only bogey on his second hole Friday before tacking on 13 birdies the rest of the way, going lower each day the tournament unfolded.

“I hit the ball extremely well, probably the best I ever have,” Sarro said. “I really didn’t make any mistakes out there.”

Sarro went 71-67-66 for the week, and he said his putting improved each day as he adjusted to playing on greens getting baked in the 110-plus degree heat.

Playing the final threesome Sunday, Sarro knew he was ahead of his playing partners throughout the day, but he was unaware what Newman was putting together on the other side of the course.

The only thing hotter than the temperatures Sunday was Newman, who began the day in the middle of the 60-man field. But a course-record 62 on Sunday propelled him to his runner-up finish.

Starting on the fifth hole in Sunday’s shotgun start, Newman finished with 10 birdies, including nine in a 12-hole stretch that had him thinking about 59. But a poor tee shot on the par-5 third hole halted the momentum, and he had to settle for the best tournament round of his young career.

Newman is an Arbor View High graduate entering his sophomore year at perennial NCAA powerhouse Oklahoma State. Asked what his Cowboys coaches would say about his 62, Newman laughed.

“They’d probably say it was a good round, now get back to work,” he said.

Sarro and Newman know each other well, having played countless junior events against each other before graduating from rival schools in 2019.

In their senior year, Sarro won the individual and team state titles, an accomplishment he thinks paid dividends Sunday.

“It definitely helped me today,” he said. “It taught me how to win.”

But this one was bigger in Sarro’s mind.

“This feels a lot better,” he said. “Better field. Bigger tournament.”

Sawaia was a teammate of Sarro’s on the championship team at Coronado. The 2020 graduate is headed to UNLV in the fall to play for the Rebels.

Sawaia made noise early Sunday with six birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the front nine to pull within two of the lead at the turn, but bogeys on Nos. 11 and 14 took him out of the title chase.

Greg Robertson is a freelance reporter who covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at robertsongt@gmail.com.