Crawford/Sanders win National Invitational at Whisper Rock

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (May 14, 2017) -- The lower and upper courses at Scottsdale's Whisper Rock Golf Club are demanding tests of desert golf with a membership list that includes PGA Tour players like Phil Mickelson. It should come as no surprise that the winners of the 2017 National Invitational, played across both courses, would be two players that play on desert courses regularly. Tyler Crawford, a member of The Plantation Golf Club in California's Coachella Valley, teamed with Joe Sanders (a former resident of the same area) to post 16-under, good enough for a 3-stroke win in the Championship Division of the National Invitational. The pair really separated themselves from the pack with a second round 63, the low round of the tournament. That second round gave them a three shot cushion heading into the final round, which they were able to retain with a final round of 68. Crawford, by the way, is red hot in the last few weeks -- at the end of April he won the Kelly Cup at Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank, California. SENIOR DIVISION Jeff New and Owen Joyner of Texas won the Senior Championship, but only after doing battle second round leaders Dave Nelson (Reno) and Chip Lutz (Pennsylvania). New and Joyner pulled into a tie with Nelson and Lutz with a final round of 67, then won a playoff for the title.