Aug. 23, 2008

Arizona State University golfer Stephan Gross won the European Amateur Championship Saturday, shooting 1-under 70 in the final round to capture one of the top tournaments in amateur golf and earn an exemption into the 2009 British Open.

Gross, a sophomore from Leimen, Germany, shot 73-68-69-70 to finish at 4-under 280 at the Esbjerg Golf Club in Denmark. He entered the final round one shot off the lead, but birdies on the 12th and 14th holes gave him a two-shot lead and he held on to win by one stroke over Richard Kind of the Netherlands.

The victory completes an outstanding three-week stretch for Gross. He won the German International Amateur two weeks ago, and last week he finished second in the Vodafone Challenge, a European Challenge Tour professional event.

After posting three top-10 finishes in seven tournaments as a freshman, Gross will return for his sophomore season to help the Sun Devils try to defend their Pac-10 championship. ASU begins its 2008-09 season with the Haig Point (S.C.) Invitational on Sept. 7-8.