It takes a little luck to win a golf tournament. For Kendall Critchfield, who won the 66th Arizona Open at Desert Mountain’s Apache Course on June 19th, that concept was reinforced on the third to last hole.

Critchfield played brilliantly, bolstered by a 5-under 31 on the front nine and an 8-under par final round 64 to win the Arizona Open in only his second attempt. His 19-under 198 total is an Arizona Open record. The Gateway Tour player, where he is a four-time winner, beat Scottsdale’s Curt Byrum, the defending champion and 18- and 36-hole leader, by three strokes. Scottsdale’s Braxton Marquez was third at 13-under. Boyd Summerhays of Scottsdale, David McDaniel, an amateur from Tucson, and Craig Hocknull from Gilbert tied for fourth at 11-under.

Critchfield, the former Arizona State standout, admitted he was fortunate on the  52nd hole. When he holed his fourth, a pitch shot from below the green, for a  tournament changing birdie, it gave Critchfield a two-stroke cushion with two holes to play.   

When the final group approached the par 5 16th Critchfield led Byrum by one  stroke at 17-under. Byrum lost his lead on the 12th with a bogey. Critchfield birdied No. 13 (when his approach landed three feet from the cup) to take the outright lead. Byrum’s tee shot on No. 16 hit the cart path and nestled into a desert brush, and it appeared he would take a penalty stroke. Instead, the Golf Channel analyst aggressively wedged the ball out and advanced it down the fairway. Then Byrum’s third shot landed about 10 feet from the hole, in prime position for a birdie. 

Meanwhile, Critchfield played the hole with a perfect drive, then hit his 4-iron  approach just right of the green into some hard pan. That’s when things got interesting. Critchfield’s third shot completely flew over the putting surface. And it appeared he would make par at best. “I tried to play a bunker-type shot there,” he said. “The lie was fine. I just caught it too hot. It jumped and sailed.” Critchfield’s next shot found the bottom of the hole for an unexpected birdie. “The shot was a pretty standard pitch. I stole one there,” he said. “I was just trying to make par and get it close. Then I heard it smack the pin and go in.”

Both players bogeyed the 53rd hole, a long par 3, after missing five-foot par putts.

Then Critchfield ended the tournament in dramatic style on the par 5 18th. He pulled a driver and nailed it about 360 yards, roughly 70 yards past Byrum and Marquez. Critchfield, with only 181 yards left to the flagstick, hit a 7-iron two inches past the hole, nearly missing a double eagle three to end the Arizona Open. “I was hitting it good today,” he said (of his driver) “and (the iron shot) it was almost the perfect club back into the breeze. I swung aggressively at it. I was aiming at the Southwest Section PGA guys in back of the green and hit it perfectly. I never thought it would be that close. It’s an honor to win this championship.”

66th Arizona Open Results
June 17-19, 2010 Desert Mountain — Apache Course, Scottsdale, Arizona
Par and Total Yardage By Division 
Desert Mountain — Apache (Par: 72 Distance: 7211)