Austin Hitt had to win Sunday. There was no other way he could be assured of earning a promotion to the PGA Tour.
And with his Tar Heels pride showing for all to see on his shot book as well as his mother’s rain attire, Hill went out and did it. The 28-year-old UNC alum won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, shined on the final day in sloppy conditions at The Federal Club in Richmond, Virginia.
Hitt’s wedge approach on the par-5 10th hit about 10 feet behind the hole and spun back into the cup for eagle.
Hitt beat teenage phenom Blades Brown, who shot 69, to finish second, two strokes behind Hitt’s 20-under-par 264 total.
As it turned out, Hitt, who finished sixth on the Korn Ferry points list, would have jumped from 22 on the list into the top 20 promotion list with a finish in the top half dozen at Federal Club. But Hitt made sure to claim the promotion given to the Tour Championship winner and the $270,000 winner’s check.
The Tar Heels logo on HItt’s shot book stuck out from the top of his rear pocket, visible to Golf Channel audiences throughout the telecast. Hitt’s mother, Jennifer, also drew significant airtime with Tar Heel logs on her cap and jacket. Jennifer Hitt surprised her son by attending the final round.
A Longwood, Florida, native, Hitt played five seasons at Chapel Hill, where his roommate was Ryan Gerard, a recent breakout standout on the PGA Tour.
Columbia, Missouri, native Ross Steelman, a 25-year-old former player at Missouri and Georgia Tech, struggled to 72 during the final day but claimed the top position in the final points standings..
Raleigh native Doc Redman, who had already clinched a spot on the PGA Tour, shot 72 and tied for 31st in the tournament at 278 and eighth on the points list.