Brian Blanchard wins AGA Championship in three-way playoff
3/20/2022 | by Kent Paisley of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for AGA Championship, Aguila Golf Course
Blanchard breaks 13-hole birdie less streak for playoff victory after a third-round 65
"Send it, just try to go low again," Blanchard said after a seven-under 65 Saturday. "There's a lot of players who can go low in this field as well. It's going to take another really good one tomorrow."
🚨 Brian Blanchard shot 7-under (65) in the third round of the AGA Championship 🚨
— Arizona Golf Association (@ArizonaGolf1923) March 20, 2022
🎙His thoughts following the round.
Blanchard tees off his final round Sunday at 11:10am pic.twitter.com/GSNrPJbsUT
The 2018 Stocker Cup runner-up came out blazing in the Arizona sun Sunday, sitting at 10-under for the tournament through five holes following back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth, taking the outright lead as Hoops sat at one-over through five.
Hoops lost the lead on the fifth after a double bogey on the third pushed him to one over par. The 2020 Arizona Mid-Amateur Champion rebounded with birdies on the 5th and 7th to shoot one-under on the side.
Blanchard handed the work from his back-to-back birdies back on the sixth, with a double bogey on the par 4 his only double or worse all week. It stalled his momentum, with Hoops making up three strokes on the hole. Blanchard went the rest of the way one over par for a roller coaster 72, seven shots worse than his third-round 65.
Hoops ride, however, was far from over. He held a three-stroke lead with nine to play, breaking away from Walicki, who sat behind Hoops by one to begin Sunday. Walicki fell to four behind the 54-hole leader with a two-over 38 front nine. Hoop's consistent play earned him the 63-hole lead, as he shot even or better on every nine to that point. However, that streak ended on the back nine, with Hoops posting a 40 to close his Sunday round. He bogeyed the 11th, the 13th, and carded his first double bogey of the week on the par-5 15th. Blanchard made up his two-stroke deficit with a par after Hoop's error, and Walicki cut a four-shot gap to one with a birdie with three to play.
The 2019 Arizona Golf Association Player of the Year didn’t go down quietly, birdieing the 17th to shoot even on the back nine Sunday, enough for Walicki to make up a four-stroke deficit with nine to play. He made it a three-way playoff, with the trio all finishing 72 holes at seven-under off to the first at Aguila Golf Club.
The playoff ended swiftly, with Blanchard posting his first birdie of the week on the opening hole to break a 13-hole birdie-less streak for the victory.
About the AGA Championship
The AGA Championship is the new tournament title of what was formerly known as the "Arizona Publinks Championship". 72-holes of individual stroke play at gross with max field size of 144 players. A cut to the low 60-players + ties will be made after ...
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners
Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Luke Ringkamp Cruises to Rolex Tournament of Champions Title at TPC San Antonio
Nov 26, 2025One week after committing to Pepperdine, Luke Ringkamp won the Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine shots.