Parr Heats Up

Gateway Tour

RIO VERDE, Ariz.-Andrew Parr (Ontario, Canada) battled not only the playing field, but some tough, windy conditions as well, to shoot a final-round 4-under par to win by two strokes on the Gateway Tour's Desert Winter Series at Vista Verde Golf Club in Rio Verde, Ariz.

Parr finished at 11-under for the tournament, and his 68 tied for the low round of the day with Scott Petersen (Parker, Colo.), who finished two shots behind Parr in second at 9-under 207 for the tournament.

Parr started the day off with a bogey on the first hole, and added two birdies on the front side to post a 33. He made another bogey on the par-4 tenth to get back to even for the day before heating up on a stretch of holes that pretty much won him the tournament.

Parr shot 4-under on holes 13-17, with birdies on 13, 14 and 16, and a critical eagle on the 626-yard, par-5 17th that got him to 11-under, a number that nobody could match.

Petersen, who started the day two shots back of Parr, opened with a 33 on the front side, but could only manage a 35 on the back, with birdies on 14 and 16 and a bogey on the par-4 12th hole.

Chris Baryla (El Paso, Texas) shot 2-under for the day and finished in third place at 6-under 210, while Byron Smith finished fourth at 4-under and Wil Collins rounded out the top-5 at 3-under par.

Parr earned $15,450 with the win, but because he is not a full-time member of the Desert Winter Series, his earnings will not count toward official money. The top money winners from the Desert Winter and Beach Winter Series' will square off in the Winter Series Championship, Mar. 7-10, at Martin Downs Country Club in Palm City, Fla.

Week 1 winner Dustin White finished T-3 and continues to lead the Desert Winter money list with $19,000 in winnings. Ryan Dillon ranks second at $10,165, while Byron Smith sits in third with $8,854 in earnings. Petersen, thanks to his second-place finish, is fourth at $7,725.