Former Air Force Academy golfer and Fort Collins resident Whitney earns PGA Tour Latinoamerica victory; elsewhere, Jobe, Laird notch top-10 finishes
By Gary Baines – 04/28/2019
Tom Whitney has gotten close several times in the past to notching his first victory on PGA Tour Latinoamerica. In 2016, the former Air Force Academy golfer had a runner-up finish to go along with fourth-, sixth- and eight-place finishes. And he added a 10th-place showing in March of this year.
On Sunday, the former Fort Collins resident (pictured) sealed the deal, posting his first Latinoamerica victory at the 88 Abierto OSDE del Centro in Cordoba, Argentina.
Whitney rebounded from a first-round 73 with scores of 67-66-64 for a 14-under-par 270 total and a one-stroke victory over fellow American Nicolo Galletti. The long-hitting Whitney birdied nine holes in Sunday’s final round, including the 18th.
“It’s been a whirlwind week,” Whitney said on the Latinoamerica website. “I have a lot of emotions flowing through me right now. I have a lot of gratitude for the support I have back at home.”
Whitney finished fourth at a Q-school tournament in Mexico in January to secure his PGA Tour Latinoamerica card for 2019. In four PTLA starts in 2019, he’s been in the top 13 three times. Monday’s win, worth $31,500, gives him the lead on the Latinoamerica money list with $40,300.
Elsewhere:
— Two teams featuring players with strong Colorado ties recorded top-15 finishes on Sunday in the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Former Colorado State University golfer Martin Laird and Canadian Nick Taylor teamed up to tie for ninth, marking Laird’s best PGA Tour showing since October. And Colorado resident Jim Knous paired with another Canadian, Adam Hadwin, to share 13th.
Laird and Taylor went 62-74-64-69 for a 19-under-par 269 total in the event that switched off daily between best ball and alternate shot. They ended up seven strokes behind champions Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer.
Knous, who landed a late spot in the event, and Hadwin carded totals of 66-68-65-71 to check in at 270.
— On PGA Tour Champions, where another team event was on tap, former UCLA teammates Brandt Jobe and Scott McCarron paired up to tie for fifth in the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf in Ridgedale, Mo.
Jobe, a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, and McCarron made six birdies and one bogey on Sunday and finished the event with a 15-under-par total, which left them eight strokes behind winners Scott Hoch and Tom Pernice Jr.
It was Jobe’s fourth top-10 showing of the 2019 season, but first top-five.
— Earlier this week in mini-tour action, former University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul finished third out of 46 players on the Outlaw Tour’s Pro Series Championship in Alta Mesa, Ariz.
Paul, the Outlaw Tour’s top money winner in 2019 following three wins, carded scores of 70-71-66 for a 207 total, which left him one stroke behind winner Eddie Stewart, who defeated former CoBank Colorado Open champion Jimmy Gunn in a playoff. Paul earned $2,175.
Colorado resident Zahkai Brown placed fifth at 208, good for $1,562.