SANDWICH, England (June 21, 2025) – East Tennessee State University men's golfer Gavin Tiernan finished as the runner up at The Amateur Championship on Saturday. 

Tiernan and Ethan Fang needed all 36 holes of golf to decide the winner on Saturday. The Buccaneer and Ireland native took a 1-up match play lead through the first round of golf and didn't trail throughout the first round, spending nine holes in the lead and seven tied. 

Fang took his first lead on the fifth hole of the second round after moving to all-square to open the round. Tiernan promptly responded, tying the match on Hole 7 with a brilliant eagle, and the duo remained tied heading into the back nine.

Fang took the lead on 10 before Tiernan pushed the match play back to all-square with a birdie on 12. Then, Fang appeared to put the match all but away by winning back-to-back holes on 14 and 15 to go 2-up.

Needing to win the hole to stay alive, Tiernan stepped up in the face of pressure and played some of his best golf of the day. A birdie on 16 cut the lead and half and drew applause from the spectators and praise from the commentators, and then he did it again on 17. He dropped in a long birdie putt to get back to all-square heading to the final hole. 

After Tiernan's comeback to force the decisive 18th hole from all-square, Fang held on. He birdied the final hole to Tiernan's par to win the Championship.

"Gavin's performance at The Amateur Championship was a reflection of the work he's put in on and off the course," ETSU head coach Aaron O'Callaghan said. "His composure, creativity, and belief stood out all week, especially under pressure. He's showing he belongs on the biggest stages in amateur golf, and I couldn't be prouder of how he represented ETSU."

"I'm tired. Obviously I'm disappointed. He just hit a fantastic shot into 18," Tiernan told local media afterwards. "I made a couple of silly mistakes on the back nine, and that really cost me. I had to make up for it with birdies on 16 and 17 – and then he hit an amazing shot in [on 18]. Great birdie, fair play to him."

Tiernan played an astounding 175 holes of golf throughout the week, as he had to play through Pre-Qualifying to gain his spot at the Championship. "I was pumped up so I wasn't really feeling the tiredness too much," Tiernan added. 

"But I'll definitely sleep tonight."

For more information on Buccaneer men's golf, follow @ETSUMGolf on X (Twitter), Instagram and Facebook, and visit ETSUBucs.com.