Josh Anderson wins the 2023 BCGA Amateur Championship at Reading Country Club

Josh Anderson, the winner of the BCGA Amateur Championship in 2020, had some pretty important people paying attention to his final round at the same event Monday at Reading Country Club.

And while those same people were around the first time Anderson won the event, odds are they may have more to say this time when he shows them his 2023 championship trophy.

“My kids were following along at home,” Anderson said. “My daughter is 6 and my son’s 5. So when I won this three years ago, they knew when I brought home the trophy, but they didn’t really know what was going on.

“And this time, with the online scoring, they were sending me texts and I was kind of telling them through Mom how it was going. So yeah, I think that that makes it even more cool.”

Whether it be to his kids or anyone else, Anderson will have an exciting tale to tell after making birdies on the final three holes to close Monday’s round with a 3-under 67 and finish with a winning three-round total of even-par 210.

Anderson, paired in the final group with Matt Dolinsky and Blake Reifsnyder, won by two strokes over the pair. Dolinsky shot 70, and Reifsnyder, who entered the day with as the leader at 1-over 141, shot a 1-over 71.

Dolinksy started the day in second at 2-over 142, while Anderson was at 3-over 143.

“It was very exciting coming down the stretch,” Anderson said. “We kind of went back and forth. I had the lead and Blake had the lead, and Matt was right there. So that makes it fun when you have to hit good shots down the stretch to win.”

And hit good shots down the stretch he did.

With Anderson and Reifsnyder tied at 2-over 203 heading into the 512-yard par-5 17th, Anderson nailed a solid approach for a 12-foot look at birdie. Moments later, Reifsnyder narrowly missed a chip from the far fringe for birdie, before Anderson sank his second consecutive birdie putt to take a one-shot lead heading into No. 18.

Though both Anderson and Reifsnyder made near identical tee shots into the center of the fairway on the 345-yard par-4 18th, Anderson’s approach hit the right spot and rolled down to just a few feet from the hole, while Reifsnyder’s approach again found him on the fringe, a dauntingly long way out.

In the end, Anderson sank his strong look with ease to clinch the tournament after Reifsnyder failed to put the pressure on with a successful birdie from deep.

“I want to say it was about 12 feet,” Anderson said of the putt on No. 17. “It was right to left, a good putt for me, and I thought I might have pulled it a little bit, but I gave it enough speed and it held the line and went in.

“I knew that it was important to take the lead going into the last hole and make them make birdie to tie me. So it was nice having a little bit of cushion, and then I had a really good second shot in there and was fortunate that it rolled back enough to give me a putt that I should make without too much trouble.”

A remarkable finish was necessary after Anderson’s round went into jeopardy on the tantalizing 220-yard, par-3 15th. With a one-shot lead over Reifnsyder, Anderson hit his tee shot left and out of bounds before he finished the hole with a double bogey.

Meanwhile Reifnsyder parred, allowing him to reclaim the lead after leading Anderson by as many as four shots on the front nine.

“I just made a terrible swing; I didn’t feel good on that tee,” Anderson said. “It plays a lot downhill so it’s hard to judge. The first day I hit hybrid, almost went too far from that tee, and then yesterday they moved the tee up and I hit a 7-iron that I thought was good and it was in the hazards, so I was just uncomfortable.

“I had to tell myself you’re still only one back. A lot can happen, make some birdies coming in, and then see what happens.”

Anderson made birdie on the 159-yard, par-3 sixth as well as on the 426-yard, par-4 seventh. This allowed him to get within two shots of Reifsnyder, who was at even-par 160 after making a birdie on No. 5, but then bogeys on 6 and 7.

The holes proved to be a pivotal momentum swing for Anderson.

“On the sixth hole, I was 1-over through five (on the day) and not playing real well, and I hit a really good shot,” Anderson said, “and I think at that point Blake was up four. I hit a really good shot in there and made birdie and Blake made bogey, and then the same thing on the next hole. So that was a huge stretch, if I don’t do that then I might have been too far back to matter at the end.”

New hardware in hand, Anderson noted that he was pleased with the design of this year’s trophy after having an accidental miscue a few years back.

“Last time I won, they handed me the trophy, and it had a lid on it that wasn’t attached,” Anderson said. “I didn’t know it, and so when they handed it to me and it tilted, the lid fell off and busted. I was happy that this one happened with no lid so there’s nothing that can fall off and break.”