Jake Cesare couldn’t put it off any longer. On Friday morning, the 17-year-old reported to the first day of his senior year at Westfield (Indiana) High School. He was a day late.
Cesare had other business to attend to when the doors opened at Westfield on Thursday. After two rounds of the Golfweek Hoosier Amateur, Cesare was two shots off the lead in a field largely made up of Division I players at the Pfau Course at Indiana University. He pulled away with a final-round 5-under 66.
At 6 under for 54 holes, nobody else was even close. Ben Cors, a senior on the University of Dayton roster, was runner-up at 1 under. Three players, two of whom also appear on Division I rosters, finished tied for second at even par.
Scores: Golfweek Hoosier Amateur
Cesare cried no tears of sentiment about missing the pomp and circumstance of back-to-school. Shortly after downing a cheeseburger and fries to celebrate his win, he declared, “I’m happy. Definitely made the right decision to come down and play this tournament and miss the first day.”
Cesare found out the timeline about a week ago when his dad told him he’d be in Bloomington instead of Westfield when school started.
“I’m like, ‘Nice, missing the first day,” he said.
Jake Cesare with the Golfweek Hoosier Amateur trophy. (Photo by Landon Ringler/Golfweek)
Just as the start of senior year of high school marks a transition point for most people, Cesare’s Hoosier Amateur win marks one for him. Cesare, who will turn 18 on Aug. 17, last won a golf tournament in the fall of 2023. It was an Indiana Golf Foundation Fall Series Event at Coyote Crossing Golf Club in West Lafayette – in other words, a junior golf tournament.
The Hoosier Amateur is Cesare’s first amateur win. He recognized a few names in the field, but this was largely a new crowd.
Asked how he felt he stacked up after 54 holes, Cesare said he felt like he had every bit the talent.
“I know I’m just as good,” he said. “I just feel like I need to put three good solid rounds together.”
Cesare, who works on his swing with Brad Fellers at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, is confident off the tee and a good driver of the golf ball. He has accuracy and distance, and in the final round, his putter got hot. He needed only 26 putts total, 10 of which were one-putts.
The 66 Cesare posted in the final round is one shot higher than his lowest competitive score, which he shot in 2020 at a qualifier for the Notah Begay Junior Golf National Championship. For the week, Cesare only had one double bogey. He hit his drive through the fairway on the par-4 11th in Round 2, but he got redemption with a final-round birdie there.
Cesare’s 6-under total sets a new 54-hole record for the Hoosier Amateur. Last year, Nick Piesen won at 5 under just a few weeks before starting his freshman season at Indiana.
“I just felt like I was the underdog this week,” Cesare said. “I had no pressure on myself, had nothing to lose.”
His Hoosier Amateur title may bust that underdog status, especially considering that he’ll be ranked in the World Amateur Golf Ranking after this tournament.
Jake Cesare at The Pfau Course at Indiana University. (Photo by Landon Ringler/Golfweek)
The Pfau is about to hear a lot more from him, too. Last spring, Cesare verbally committed to play for Indiana University. He’ll join older brother Alec on the roster there next year after Alec transferred in from Ball State to start his sophomore season. Indiana is the family school for the Cesares. Jake and Alec’s parents both attended there, too.
“It’s going to be fun playing with Alec,” he said. “I spent two years of high school golf playing with him and it was a lot of fun. Hopefully, it’s the same way in college.”