Phillis Meti, Will Hogue win 2018 Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun World Long Drive event 

Will Hogue and Phillis Meti

Phillis Meti (Auckland, New Zealand) and Will Hogue (Memphis, Tenn.) claimed the Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun before a live audience in primetime on Golf Channel. The Maricopa, Arizona desert served as the backdrop for the second televised World Long Drive event of 2018, taking place within the Ak-Chin Indian Community outside of Phoenix.

In the Women’s Division final, Meti blasted her seventh ball 380 yards to outmatch the 351-yard drive of reigning Volvik World Long Drive champion Sandra Carlborg (Alingsas, Sweden).

On the men’s side, Hogue took advantage of a 421-yard drive on his second ball to win his second title in three weeks, after claiming the Clash in the Canyon last month in Nevada. His opponent in the final – Paul Howell (Wilson, N.C.) – is a familiar foe to Hogue, as the two are good friends. With the win, Hogue ascends to the No. 3 ranked competitor in the world, after beginning the season as No. 6.

The Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun marked the third official event of the 2018 World Long Drive season, as Justin Moose claimed the East Coast Classic in Columbia, South Carolina in March, while Alexis Belton and Hogue won the Clash in the Canyon in Mesquite, Nevada last month. The season continues in three weeks with the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bash, airing live in primetime on Golf Channel, Tuesday, June 5 from Atlantic City, N.J.

The Ak-Chin Indian Community is located adjacent to Maricopa, Arizona, a half hour from Phoenix-Sky Harbor Airport. Enterprises that make up the Ak-Chin Indian Community destination include Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, Ultra Star Multi-tainment Center at Ak-Chin Circle and the Troon Golf-managed Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club is ranked as one of the Top 100 courses in the country by Golfweek and Golf Magazine. For more information on the Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun, visit http://www.akchinsoutherndunes.com/WLD/

ABOUT THE AK-CHIN INDIAN COMMUNITY
The Ak-Chin Indian Community is nestled into the Santa Cruz Valley of Southern Arizona. The Community lies 35 miles south of Phoenix in the northwestern part of Pinal County. Ak-Chin is an O’odham word translated to mean “mouth of the wash” or “place where the wash loses itself in the sand or ground.” Ak-Chin has an enrollment of more than 1,092 tribal members and a land base of just over 22,000 acres. The Ak-Chin Indian Community has a variety of business enterprises including Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, UltraStar Multi-tainment Center at Ak-Chin Circle and Santa Cruz Commerce Center. For more information, visit www.ak-chin.nsn.us.