The eighth tournament of the season resulted in the seventh different winner. It was a close, exciting finish that required a playoff, and it was Derek Hitchner that rallied to capture the title at the Torrey Pines North Course.
The playoff came down to Hitchner and Cody McManus, so it would have been a first-time winner either way. Hitchner birdied the first hole of the playoff, the par-5 first hole, and McManus missed his birdie putt.
Hitchner had begun the round four shots back of the lead. He didn’t take the lead until the very end.
McManus, Joshua McCarthy and RJ Manke, playing in the final group, were all tied at 12-under as they made the turn. Hitchner, playing in an earlier group, recorded his only bogey of the day at 14, which put him at 10-under. He then birdied three of his final four holes to finish with a 6-under 66 on the day, and went in as the clubhouse leader at 13-under 203 overall.
As the final group approached 17, McManus and McCarthy were at 11-under and Manke was at 10-under. McCarthy saw his hopes of a second straight win come to an end with a bogey on 17. McManus and Manke stayed alive with birdies on 17. McManus needed a birdie on 18 to force a playoff and he got it. Manke needed an eagle, quite possible on the par-5 final hole, but his tee shot went awry and he made bogey to drop into a tie for third with McCarthy at 10-under.
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Leaderboard: 1. Derek Hitchner 203 (72-65-66); 2. Cody McManus 203 (71-64-68); T3. Joshua McCarthy 206 (68-66-72); T3. RJ Manke 206 (66-67-73); 5. Andrew Putnam 207 (72-68-67); 6. William Mouw 209 (70-66-73); 7. Sahith Theegala 210 (67-70-73); T8. Josh Anderson 211 (71-71-69); T8. Roy Cootes 211 (70-71-70); T10. Frederick Wedel 214 (73-74-67); T10. Joe Highsmith 214 (73-73-68); 12. Clay Feagler 215 (75-72-68); T13. Joey Vrzich 219 (76-74-69); T13. Kevin DeHuff 219 (74-73-72); T13. Johnny Mac Arthur 219 (74-70-75); 16. Austin Murphy 226 (78-75-73).
- Hitchner’s 6-under 66 was the best round of the day. He was one of eight to post a final-round score in the 60s.
- Only one of the four players in the final group (McManus) shot below par.
- McManus’ previous-best finish was a tie for sixth. Anderson (T-8th) also had his best finish of the season. Manke didn’t win despite being the leader heading into the final round, but he did get his fifth top-three finish. McCarthy posted his fourth consecutive top-three result.
- The third round played a little tougher than the second (70.2 to 69.9). The average score for the tournament at the par-72 course was 70.67.
- Final-round eagles were recorded by Feagler, Highsmith and Cootes.
- The tour heads to Georgia for the final two tournaments, first at East Lake Golf Club and then to Augusta National for the finale.
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 