Scott Fairbanks isn't afraid to admit it. Over the years he's broken quite a few good putters when he wasn't happy with the way they were performing.
At Saturday's Rose Park Open, he started using a new putter and the results were so good, it looks like he'll be keeping his Scotty Cameron-Titleist putter - for awhile, anyway.Fairbanks made a loadful of putts en route to a 9-under-par 63 and a convincing victory at the Rose Park Golf Course. It was the lowest round of his life and the first-ever win in an open tournament for the 37-year-old amateur.
The lowest score a professional could manage in the one-day tournament was a 69 by Fore Lakes head pro Brad Asplund, who collected $1,000. Amateurs Steve Borget and Ryan Job shot 67 and 68, repsectively, while three other amatuers, Brandon Hargett, Steven Linck and Dustin Volk all matched Asplund at 69.
"I'm very pleased, this was definitely my best round," said Fairbanks, an aluminum siding contractor from Orem. "I was very happy with my putting. I haven't putted this well in months."
Fairbanks drained seven putts longer than 6 feet, and made five birdies in a row during a red-hot stretch in the middle of his round.
After making birds at 10, 14 and 15 (he started on the back nine), Fairbanks made a 15- footer at 17, a tap-in birdie at 18, a 25-footer at 1, a 6-footer at 2 and a 10-footer at 3. He came back to earth with his only bogey of the day at No. 4, then finished off his round with birdies at 7 and 8.
His driving was also solid and when it wasn't, such as the first hole when he pulled his drive left, he got lucky. His ball hit a tree and bounded back enough to give him an open shot to the green and he made a birdie.
Fairbanks is the third amateur to win the Rose Park Open in the last five years. He said he gets special satisfaction from beating the pros. "I've always wanted to beat the pros in an open tournament," he said.
He's won several amateur tournaments over the years, including the Winterchamps twice and has won some big matches in the State Amateur. He hadn't played much this winter and felt his game was "a little weak" coming into Saturday's tournament. But his game was cured in a hurry by his new putter, some strong driving and a little luck.
Finishing in a tie for second among the pros were Brad Stone and Nick Klassen. Four pros, Reid Goodliffe, Grayden Pearson, Brett Wayment and Robert Wright joined amateurs Karl Avant, Rick Bodell, Kevin Haslam and Shaun Jepson at 71.
The professional field was depleted because of a tournament in Colorado Springs that several of Utah's top pros opted to play in. Most of the pros should be back for the U.S. Open local qualifying Wednesday at Oakridge Country Club.