METZGER RALLIES FOR 3-SHOT WIN AT PLAYERS TOWEL CHAMPIONSHIP

Andre Metzger shot a final-round 66 and was 4-under on the back nine when it counted most to beat Tom Whitney by three shots at the OnCore Gateway Tour’s Players Towel Championship at McCormick Ranch Golf Club.

Metzger shot 68-65 the first two days and was 11-under heading into the final round, two shots back of Whitney, who had the second-round lead at 13-under following his stellar bogey-free 64 in round two.

Both players matched each other through the first six holes, making birdies on holes 1 and 3, making bogeys on the par-3 5th and a birdie on the par-4 6th to get to 13-under and 15-under, respectively. Whitney’s up-and-down front nine continued with bogeys on the next two holes, but he birdied the par-4 9th to make the turn with a one-shot lead over Metzger at 14-under.

They both opened with birdies on the par-4 10th, and Metzger knotted things up after his birdie on the par-4 11th got him to 15-under par. The big swing came on holes 13 and 14 – Metzger took a one shot lead at 16-under after he made birdie on the par-3 13th, then found himself with a two-shot lead after Whitney dropped to 14-under with a costly bogey on the par-4 14th.

Whitney cut Metzger’s lead to one when he made a clutch birdie on the par-5 16th to get to 15-under, but gave it back with a bogey on the par-3 17th.

Looking at a 2-shot lead going into the final hole, Metzger put the icing on the cake with a birdie on the par-4 18th, his seventh birdie of the day and fourth on the back nine, to earn his first win of the AAGT Fall Season.

Whitney was in contention to win after rounds of 67-64, but was erratic in the third round, recording five bogeys and six birdies for his final-round 71 (he had only three bogeys in the first two rounds). He still finished solo second at 14-under, and narrowly missed earning his second win of the Fall season (he won the zTrip Classic in November).

Metzger fired rounds of 68-65-66 and was steady all three days, carding 19 birdies and just two bogeys through 54 holes, and he was clutch down the stretch with his bogey-free 32. He was in the same situation earlier this season at the Bolle Sunglasses Open, but he couldn’t close and finished solo second.

Riley Wheeldon earned his second straight third-place finish after firing rounds of 67-68-69 to finish at 12-under, while Jake Younan finished solo fourth after his final-round 4-under 68 got him to 10-under for the tournament.

Max Homa managed only a 1-under 71 in the final round but made a birdie on the final hole to jump into the Top-5 at 9-under par.

For complete results from the OnCore Gateway Tour zTrip Classic at McCormick Ranch Golf Club CLICK HERE

That wraps up the OnCore Gateway Tour’s Fall Season. The OGT Winter Series gets started in 2016 with the one-day Sponsorship Event on Jan. 11, followed by the first Winter Series tournament of the year, the Bushnell Classic, Jan. 12-14 at Verrado Golf Club.