Hunter Wescott fires 8-under 63 to claim Rosauers Open title in dramatic finish
The closing stretch of holes in the final round of the Rosauers Open Invitational at Indian Canyon Golf Course almost always produces a dramatic finish.
That was the case again Sunday with Hunter Wescott, 2024 champion Andrew Von Lossow and 2023 champ Conner Robbins taking turns delivering memorable, momentum-shifting shots to determine the Rosauers title.
Wescott got the job done with a pair of terrific two-putts from long distance on the last two holes, putting the finishing touches on a bogey-free, 8-under 63 for a one-shot win over Von Lossow and Robbins.
Wescott stuck to his pre-round plan that 4 under on the front and 4 under on the back would give him a chance. He didn’t even check his phone for score updates until he was approaching the 18th green, where he faced a tricky 40-foot eagle putt.
“Turns out, it (63) was the right number,” said the 29-year-old Wescott, director of instruction at Pumpkin Ridge outside of Portland. “I knew I needed to make a two-putt at worse. I promise you, I normally check my phone a lot.”
Wescott nearly drained the lengthy putt before tapping in for his fourth birdie on the back nine to reach 17-under 196 in the 54-hole tourney, but he wasn’t home free yet.
Robbins, who birdied the last three holes, had a chance to tie Wescott but his 20-footer for eagle drifted wide on No. 18.
About 10 minutes later, Von Lossow’s downhill, 18-foot eagle attempt came up short and he settled for birdie to share second with Robbins.
“I knew it would be fast and I left it short,” the Spokane amateur said, “which is something I never do.”
Von Lossow built a three-shot lead with a blistering start on the back side, including a near ace on No. 11, a near double eagle on the par-5 12th, a nice par save on 13 and a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 14.
His lead melted away when he four-putted for double bogey on No. 15 after Wescott, playing one group ahead, had made birdie to pull even at 15 under.
Von Lossow rallied by making a 12-footer for par on No. 17 – the ball appeared to hang on the back lip for a split second before dropping – and two good swings on the closing hole to give him a crack at his fourth eagle of the tournament.
“It just stinks to have that double (bogey),” said Von Lossow, who collected his third straight trophy for low amateur. “Otherwise I played like I normally do. You’re in the mix to win it or tie. It just comes down to that four-jack.”
“It’s such a fine line to win a tournament. You don’t need to be perfect but nearly perfect. It just shows that doubles kill you. It was pretty clean golf overall and it’s a good learning experience.”
Wescott has been in learning mode for most of his career prior to breaking through Sunday to win one of the majors on the PGA Pacific Northwest Section schedule.
He had a nice prep career in Portland but wasn’t widely recruited before playing at Division II Dominican University in New York. For about six years, including his college golf days, Wescott drove 3½ hours to take lessons from Brian Thornton, a teaching pro in Kent, Washington, who finished seventh after a final-round 69.
Wescott has slowly climbed the ranks on the Pacific Northwest Section circuit, including a fifth-place finish at the Oregon Open last month.
“I felt like I was always one of the guys that was close, but always the overlooked guy,” he said. “It’s nice to maybe change that now. This is something I’ve wanted for a long time. I kept inching closer and closer and I’ve been doing the right things.”
Wescott “obliterated” a 3-iron to reach the front fringe on the dogleg left, 307-yard par-4 17th, which plays shorter via a direct route to the green. His first putt from 75 feet came up 10 feet short. He made the second putt to maintain a one-stroke lead over Robbins, who shouted “Bam” seconds earlier after holing a slippery downhill chip for birdie.
“I was still expecting (his drive) to be in the rough,” said Wescott, who collected $10,000 for the win. “For it to be on the fringe, that couldn’t have been a better sign to get the putter back in my hands. That was the best club in my bag by a long shot. It saved me so much.”
Tournament officials presented a record $185,000 check to Vanessa Behan, which provides help for at-risk children and support to strengthen families, raising the total to $4.155 million over the 39-year history of the tournament.