Sondjaja Second At Prestigious Trans-Miss Amateur

SAN FRANCISCO – Iowa State senior golfer Ruben Sondjaja finished second at the prestigious Trans-Mississippi Amateur this week, falling one shot back from Will Zalartoris, who won the tournament at 6-under (274).

Sondjaja fired rounds of 68-70-67-70 (275; 5-under) at the famous Olympic Club in San Francisco, a site which has hosted numerous major championships.

Zalartoris needed to make a five-foot par putt on the final hole to hold off a late surge from Sondjaja. Sondjaja finished three shots ahead of Texas All-American Doug Ghim, who placed third at 278.

Sondjaja's Cyclone teammate Denzel Ieremia also performed well, tying for 13^th at 284 (69-74-69-72).

The Trans-Mississippi Amateur is considered one of the best amateur events of the summer since its inception in 1901. Former winners of the tournament include Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw and Bob Tway.

A native of Sydney, Australia, Sondjaja heads into his senior season as one of the most accomplished golfers in Cyclone history. His career 73.06 stroke average ranks fourth in school history.

Sondjaja, who tallied a 72.95 scoring clip in 2015-16, earned Big 12 All-Tournament honors in 2014.