Healey led the 72-hole stroke play tournament after 36-holes at Desert Mountain, but a 74 on Friday placed him one group in front of the leaders, trying to post a number. That might have been a good thing.

"I got off to a good start today," said Healey. "But after birdies on the first two holes I went bogey-double on the third and fourth, and I thought I might have shot myself out of it."

But Healey didn't give up, and after three more birdies against no bogeys through the 14th, he was 2-under on the day and needed a strong finish. After missing a short putt for par on the monster 484-yard par 4 15th (that's long even in desert heat) Healey approached the tee on the par-4 16th and saw a green light.

"They had the tee way up there to make it tempting," said Healey. "So I took driver out and hit it to 12-feet, and lipped out the eagle putt."

A 54-degree wedge to a cozy 5 feet setup another birdie on the 17th, and Healey posted his third-straight tweet (the old fashioned kind) with a solid 7-iron and 15 foot conversion on the closing hole, a sharply downhill par-3.

Dylan Healey rolls the winning putt at the scenic 18th hole (photo courtesy Sandy Painter)

Satisfied that 5-under had a chance, Healey started getting ready to get a bite to eat. But a tournament official tapped him on the shoulder, and told him he might want to wait. He was being called for a playoff.

That playoff was with Hayden Wood of Edmond, Oklahoma (and Oklahoma State). Wood had earlier suffered a double bogey on the 18th, and now had to go back to that same tee with Healey to see who would bring home the Centennial Southwestern Amateur title.

Finding the bunker off the tee, Wood blasted out to 12 feet, while Healey (who missed the green short) was inside him at 8 feet for par. When Wood's putt slipped by, it was left to the Franklin, Tennessee resident -- who now attends Cal State San Marcos in the San Diego area -- to face the biggest putt of his life. He knocked it in, and became the 100th player to put his name on the Southwestern Amateur trophy.

Healey, 21, a rising senior at Cal-State University San Marcos, said Saturday’s win “is certainly the biggest of my career. To be the 100th name on that trophy is pretty cool.”

Eric Sugimoto of San Diego, who recently played so well for USC as part of their runner-up finish at the NCAA Division I Championship, finished third, one shot out of the playoff.

Champion Dylan Healey (c) with runner-up Hayden Wood (right) and Eric Sugimoto (photo courtesy Sandy Painter)

ABOUT THE SOUTHWESTERN AMATEUR

The Southwestern Amateur is the longest running regional amateur men's golf championship in the western United States. With origins dating back as early as 1908, the tournament was formally organized into a regional competition in 1915. Since then the championship has grown to many more players and a stepping stone for many great future PGA Tour stars.

The 100th annual Southwestern Amateur was held at the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its Geronimo Course was used for the final two rounds; the Cochise Course also used for the first two days. All told, the Desert Mountain Community has six exclusive golf courses.