Blake Hathcoat Birdies Last Six, wins Saguaro Am in Playoff
Blake Hathcoat birdied the final six holes to force a playoff
(Saguaro Amateur Photo)
MARICOPA, AZ (January 4, 2018) - The final round of the Saguaro Amateur saw one player birdie the final six holes and another fire a tournament record. All that and a playoff between Blake Hathcoat and Drew McCullough was still needed to determine a winner on Thursday after both players finished 12-under
Playing at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club Blake Hathcoat started the final round four shots off the lead and was seemingly going to come up just short but a remarkable out of nowhere run of birdies propelled him to the title. Just 1-under for his final round following a bogey on 11th hole the St. Mary's product found another gear as he birdied six straight from Nos. 13 to the house to force himself into a playoff with McCullough.
The final birdie on the 18th hole was a four-footer after Hathcoat stuck his approach shot to the par-4 463 yard closing hole. Hathcoat, 7-under 65 on Thursday, then won on the second playoff hole with a par after both players nearly birdied the opening extra hole.
McCullough, a senior for Wyoming, thought he had done more than enough to win the title in regulation after he birdied the 54th hole to sign for a final round 9-under 63, setting a new tournament record. A distant six-strokes back when play began McCullough was going along nicely early in his round but at 1-under through six-holes it didn't seem like he would be a factor. That would all change in a flash as McCullough birdied the next two holes and overall eight of his final 12-holes to take a two shot lead into the clubhouse.
Auburn's Ryan Knop, the winner of last weeks Orlando International Amateur and December's AGC Tour Championship, finished third at 10-under, 36-hole leader David Laskin of Arizona ended up fourth at 9-under while Arizona State's Koichiro Ishika was fifth at 8-under.
ABOUT THE
Saguaro Amateur
54-hole event with field comprised of 108
men’s amateur golfers from all over the United
States. Most players are college golfers on winter
break. All players must have completed high school
by January 1 and must have a handicap of 3.0 or
lower. The host club, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, has
hosted the Arizona Amateur three times as well as
U.S.
Open and PGA Tour qualifying.
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