Amateur Tyler Watts, who signed with Tennessee in practice round, makes another PGA Tour cut
Cameron Jourdan- High school senior Tyler Watts made the cut at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
- This marks the second time the 18-year-old has made the cut in a PGA Tour event.
- Watts, a top amateur golfer, signed to play college golf at the University of Tennessee while at the tournament.
- He is the only amateur to advance to the weekend rounds in Bermuda.
SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — Tyler Watts is no stranger to making the cut on the PGA Tour.
The 18-year-old high school senior is now 2-for-2 in making the cut in his PGA Tour starts. Watts, who signed with Tennessee to play college golf Wednesday while at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, shot 2-under 69 on Friday and is 2 under and moving on to the weekend. He also made the cut at the Procore Championship earlier this fall.
And he'll have a different mindset on Saturday at Port Royal Golf Course than he did in Napa.
"Tomorrow is moving day for a reason," Watts said. "At Procore, I didn't play well on Saturday, and it kind of bit me. Tomorrow, I'm going to come out here focused and hopefully be able to put together a good round."
Watts' recent form is no surprise to those who follow the amateur game. He has been of the best amateurs in the world this summer, and it's likely he's going to remain there until the professional game comes calling.
Ranked 30th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Watts won the Sunnehanna Amateur to kick off his summer then finished runner-up at the North & South Amateur. He won the Elite Amateur Golf Series this summer, an incredible feat for a high schooler, then finished fourth in a collegiate event at Sahalee with the U.S. Junior National Team.
Now, he's making his mark on the PGA Tour as the only amateur to make the weekend in Bermuda.
"I don't like to set expectations for myself," Watts said. "I know what caliber of player I am, and if I work my tail off, I can do anything, and as long as I put my mind to it, I just got to believe in myself and have the utmost confidence in myself."
Next month, Watts will be one of four teenagers and 18 players total heading to Florida for a Walker Cup practice session, a team he could find himself on as soon as next September if his recent stretch of play continues.
Heading into his collegiate debut next fall, Watts said he'll maintain a similar schedule next spring and summer that he had this year. With another year of experience under his belt and some good reps on the PGA Tour, it should be no surprise to see him excel.
And his college career officially started in a PGA Tour practice round.
"I wasn't expecting it, obviously," Watts said. "But yeah, I'll always remember where I was when I signed at the University of Tennessee, and that's because I'm at a PGA Tour event. It's pretty cool."