PROVO — He may have moved on to greener — and more lucrative — pastures, but Nick Killpack still saves some of his best golf for Provo.
The former BYU standout shot a final-round 69 on Saturday to claim the 71st Provo Open title at the Reserve at East Bay. Killpack posted a 17-under through three days of competition — one shot better than the threesome of former U.S. Public Links champion Clay Ogden, Davis Park pro Dustin Volk and Mike McRae.
Kyle Chappell shot a 71 to finish at 13-under par and claim the title of low amateur.
"I putted great today," Killpack said. "I hit the ball really well the first two days, but today I really struggled with my ball-striking on the front nine. So I was glad my putter was there today. It absolutely saved me — I won by one and needed every shot."
Killpack had a two-shot lead over Volk at the turn but bogeyed No. 13 and then hooked his tee shot on No. 14 into a pond. He was able to make it up-and-down for par after taking a drop but still dropped a stroke as both Volk and Ogden made birdie.
Volk took a brief lead with another birdie on No. 15 before Killpack came roaring back.
After a monster drive, Killpack stuck his approach on the par-5 16th to within 25 feet. He then drained the eagle putt to regain the lead at 17-under.
He went on to make par on the final two holes to nail down his second career professional victory.
"That shot was huge. It was everything," Killpack said about his eagle putt.
"I dumped it into the water on 15, but I knew that if I hit two good shots on 16, I could get back into it."
The golfers posted a barrage of low scores on Friday — including a course-record 61 by former Utah Valley University golfer Nick Nelson — but were unable to match that scoring on Saturday thanks to firmer greens and windy conditions.
"Today was more like Thursday, with the tough greens and higher scores," Volk said. "When it's like that, you just have to putt well and err on the right side. And I wasn't quite able to do those things down the stretch."
With the Provo Open under their belts, both Killpack and Ogden plan to travel to New Mexico for next week's San Juan Open — just one stop on their schedule as they try to qualify for the PGA Tour.
Volk, meanwhile, wasn't even planning to play this week and was a late addition to the field. He used the Provo Open as a practice round before he competes in the PGA Professional National Championship in French Lick, Ind., next week.