Hurricane – Colorado pro Tom Whitney played the last 10 holes in 7 under par Saturday and took a one-stroke victory in the Sand Hollow Leavitt Group Open.
Whitney, who had conditional status this year on the Web.com Tour, earned $18,000 and an exemption into the tour’s 2018 Utah Championship. He shot 70-65-66 for a total of 15 under par, finishing ahead of Jim Knous, another Coloradoan who closed with 64 at Sand Hollow Resort.
Kurt Kitayama, who made 10 birdies, an eagle and two bogeys in shooting a final-round 62, was third at 12 under. Zahkai Brown, the 2016 Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open winner, tied for fourth.
Justin Keiley, a former BYU golfer, tied for eighth as the top player with Utah ties. Other Utahns who made the 36-hole cut included Nick Killpack (T14), Brandon Kida (T25) and Gipper Finau, Jordan Rodgers and Dusty Fielding, who tied for 29th.
Former BYU golfer Zac Blair had won the past two Sand Hollow Open titles at the end of his PGA Tour season, but he’s playing this weekend in a Web.com Tour Finals event in Ohio.