Oliver Betschart held his own competing against some of the elite junior golfers in the United States at the Vertitex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship.

The Bermudian amateur saved the best for last as he hit top gear with the putter on the way to a final round two-under 68 to finish tied for fifth at one-under 209 in the 54-hole tournament hosted by Lakewood Country Club in Dallas, Texas.

Betschart was four under with as many holes left to play but lost precious ground on the leader after dropping shots at the par-four 15th and par-five 17th greens.

“I felt really solid and started by making four birdies in the first 12 holes with no bogeys,” the 16-year-old told The Royal Gazette. “I was really feeling comfortable and my putter was on fire.

“Coming down the stretch I made two bogeys in the last four holes, just unfortunate errors and slight misreads.

“But I didn’t put myself into any real trouble and was happy with how consistently I was playing.”

The promising player carded an even-par 70 in the opening round which he followed up with a 71 to make the 36-hole cut comfortably.

“They were OK scores but I knew I had more in me, so I was really looking forward to the final day to show everybody what I’m capable of,” he said.

“There were quite a few college coaches walking around scouting, and I felt pretty comfortable with all the spectators out there.

“It was a little disappointing not being able to pull through with a really low score, but I still had a solid finish and took a lot away from this week.

“The Vertitex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship is one of the biggest junior events in Texas and brings together the best players from Texas and the surrounding states.

“This week was quite a learning experience for me. I had my coach, David Ogrin, on the bag caddying for me, and it was really helpful having him there.

“My game feels really good right now. I’m able to hit the proper shots in the correct situations, which is one of the important keys to playing tournament golf at this elite level.”

American Brooks Simmons pipped fellow Texan Jeffrey Rubenstein by a solitary shot to win the Legends Junior Tour event by a whisker.