European Tour rookie Calum Hill won the Verrado Founders Championship on the Outlaw Tour, an event that gained attention earlier this week when nearly a quarter of the field was disqualified because of a tee-box discrepancy.
Hill shot a 54-hole total of 15 under at Verrado Golf Club in Buckeye, Arizona, to win by a shot over PGA Tour Latinoamerica member Chris Korte. After paying an $875 non-member fee, Hill pocketed $4,500 for finishing atop the 60-man field that was cut to 28 players after two rounds.
Hill, 25, is from Scotland and is currently ranked No. 136 in the world. As the COVID-19 pandemic began to shut down competitive golf, he scrambled to Arizona and arrived before international travel bans took effect.
“His girlfriend is based over there and, as we know, there are some fantastic golf facilities out there, too, which are not currently under lock down,” Hill’s agent, Iain Stoddart, told Bunkered Online. “So he made the decision that that’s where he wants to be.”
Hill earned his 2020 European Tour card by finishing second on last year’s Challenge Tour Order of Merit. He has made seven Euro Tour starts this season and is currently 110th in the Race to Dubai standings.
While 60 players began play on the Founders Course, 14 were disqualified during the opening round when they teed off from an incorrect tee box on the par-3 third hole.