Westmoreland Wins in Playoff at The Patriot All-America Invitational

Litchfield Park, Ariz. – Kyle Westmoreland sunk a three-and-half foot birdie putt to defeat Toni Hakula in a six-hole playoff at The Patriot All-America Invitational on the Gold Course at The Wigwam in Litchfield Park, Ariz. Both players birdied the final hole of regulation for 5-under 205 to advance to the playoff during a day that saw five different players hold or share the lead.

Westmoreland - who plays collegiately at the Air Force Academy - entered the round with a one-stroke lead but bogeyed his first hole to fall back into a tie with Thomas Lim. Lim would take a short-lived lead with a birdie on the second hole but dropped behind Westmoreland after a double bogey on No. 3. A birdie at the fourth hole moved Taylor Moore into a tie with Westmorland. Meanwhile, defending champion Sebastian Cappelen - who began the day three shots back - surged to the top of the leader board with birdies at Nos. 2, 4, 6 and 7. Westmoreland would retake the lead with birdies at Nos. 4 and 7. Westmoreland would find himself in four-way tie for the lead at 5-under halfway through the back nine after a series of birdies by Cappelen, Lim and Moore.

The logjam at the top was temporarily loosened after Lim went bogey-bogey at 14 and 15. However, Cappelen and Moore both bogeyed No. 16 and Westmoreland 15.  Lim would again make it a four-way tie with a birdie on No. 16. Hakula - who had been down as much as four strokes during the round - carded four birdies on the back nine, including both 17 and 18 to take his first lead of the tournament. Westmoreland sunk a 10-foot birdie putt to force the playoff in the next - and final - group through 18.

Both players parred the first playoff hole. Westmoreland looked to be in control on the second playoff hole when Hakula’s tee shot went in the water, but Hakula recovered with a tough par putt to extend the playoff. The pair parred the next three holes before Westmoreland’s winning birdie putt on the sixth playoff hole.

“I knew that Thomas (Lim) was playing well and that I needed to stick to the game plan and execute like I’d planned,” said Westmoreland. “Fortunately I was able to on most of those occasions. I made some putts - made some putts I needed to make - a couple of par putts that were about 10 feet. I was able to make those. Those were clutch and could have been real momentum changers. I missed a few putts but was fortunate to make the one on 18.”

Cappelen, Lim and Moore finished a shot back in third place with 4-under 206.

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