Blake Hathcoat Birdies Final Six Holes to Force Playoff, Then Wins Saguaro Amateur at Ak-Chin Southe
Maricopa, Ariz. – Blake Hathcoat of Fresno, Calif. and a member of the St. Mary’s College golf team, birdied his final six holes to shoot a 7-under par 65 and force a playoff with Drew McCullough of Richland, Wash. on Thursday (1/4) at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz. McCullough, who is a senior on the University of Wyoming golf team, shot a tournament-record 9-under par 63 on Thursday and was comfortably in the clubhouse with a two-shot lead when Hathcoat birdied 17 and then converted a four-footer on 18 to force the tie and sudden-victory playoff at 12-under 204. Both players narrowly missed birdies on 18 (the first playoff hole) and then Hathcoat’s par on the second playoff hole (No. 1) was enough to hold off McCullough for the win.
Hathcoat’s victory also propelled him to win the inaugural Troon Saguaro Amateur Series Championship – a multi-stage, four-event series for high-level amateurs, college players, juniors and Troon-facility club champions played throughout the year at Troon-managed facilities. Hathcoat finished 3rd in the series-opening Sizzler Amateur in June 2017 at Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale. Josh McCollum of Upland, California, who finished 9th this week, was the Series runner-up. The 2018 Saguaro Amateur was the Series Championship of the 2017-18 Troon Saguaro Amateur Series, which consisted of the Sizzler Amateur played at Troon North in June; The Gobbler Amateur played at Sewailo Golf Club in Tucson in November; and the Agave Amateur played at Shadow Hills Golf Club in Indio, California in December.
The concept of the Saguaro Amateur and its evolution into a series is the brainchild of University of Colorado Head Men's Golf Coach Roy Edwards, University of Wyoming Director of Golf Programs Joe Jensen, and Ak-Chin Southern Dunes General Manager Brady Wilson.
2018 SAGUARO AMATEUR TOP 10
1. x-Blake HATHCOAT (Fresno, California) 70-69-65—204 (-12)
2. Drew McCULLOUGH (Richland, Washington) 73-68-63—204
3. Ryan KNOP (Pleasanton, California) 71-67-68—206
4. David LASKIN (Elk Grove, California) 71-64-72—207
5. Koichiro ISHIKA (Tempe, Arizona) 70-69-69—208
T6. David PERKINS (East Peoria, Illinois) 69-69-72—210
Joshua SEDENO (Roseville, California) 74-66-70—210
Sam TRIPLETT (Scottsdale, Arizona) 72-71-67—210
T9. John SOUZA (Phoenix, Arizona) 72-70-69—211
Zachary BURRY (Quincy, Illinois) 71-69-71—211
Colton YATES (Scottsdale, Arizona) 71-70-70—211
John MURDOCK IV (Laramie, Wyoming) 74-72-65—211
x—won two-hole sudden-victory playoff
For full tournament stats and results, visit www.saguaroamateur.golfgenius.com. For more information on the Troon Saguaro Amateur Series, visit www.saguaroamateur.com.
About Ak-Chin Southern Dunes The Ak-Chin Indian Community, which owns the nearby Harrah's Ak-Chin Casi no and the UltraStar Multi-tainment Center at Ak-Chin Circle, has brought together championship-style golf and world-class gaming and entertainment. Gaming and golf packages are now available through Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, creating a truly exciting and multi-faceted destination, pleasing to a wide range of visitors. The course sits on 320 acres of land that was once a part of the Ak-Chin's original May 1912 reservation before it was removed by Presidential Executive Order in late 1912. Nearly 100 years later in 2010, the Community recovered its sacred land when they purchased Ak-Chin Southern Dunes after it was originally developed as a private club. The course currently boasts several coveted accolades that include Golfweek’s list of the “Top 100 Resort Courses,” “Best Courses You Can Play,” and “Top Casino Courses,” as well as Golf Magazine’s list of “Top 100 Courses You Can Play.”
About Troon Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf management company, with more than 270 golf courses in its portfolio. Troon also specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages more than 150 restaurants located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities around the world. The company oversees operations at Troon Golf, Honours Golf, Troon Privé (the private club operating division of Troon) and Troon International with properties located in 35 states and 33 countries. Additionally, there are 57 Troon affiliated properties featuring 79 courses that have been recipients of a “Top 100” ranking by national and international publications. Troon properties include Lake of Isles Golf Club in North Stonington, Connecticut; Kapalua on Maui, Hawaii; The Centurion Club in London, England; Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples in Florida; Els Club Desaru Coast in Malaysia; and Palmilla Golf Club in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Blog, Press Room, or subscribe to Troon Golf & Travel.
