JOHNSTOWN —
Trailing by three shots with four holes to play, it appeared that Tom Facciani would have to wait another year to capture his first City Golf Championship at Berkley Hills golf course on Sunday.
An hour later, Facciani watched as Derek Hayes, his nearest competitor, eyed up a 6-foot par putt that would force a playoff with him.
Facciani had done all he could to win the tournament.
With Hayes in trouble off the tee on No. 15, Facciani knocked an approach to 8 feet and made birdie for a two-shot swing after Hayes made bogey. He had taken the lead with another birdie at the par-3 17th when Hayes bunkered his tee shot and failed to get up-and-down.
Facing a stiff headwind at the par-4 18th, Facciani bunkered his approach and had to settle for bogey, leaving an opening for Hayes if the Sunnehanna club champion could two-putt from 50 feet.
Hayes’ first effort looked to be on a good line but pulled up short, leaving him a difficult left-to-right sliding putt for the tie.
Hayes’ par attempt finished an inch above the cup, giving Facciani, 28, a title he had been trying to win since he was a teenager.
“I’m very happy to have won,” Facciani said, after posting a 73 for a 1-under 212 total. “I would have liked to have finished with a better score, but I will definitely take it.
“The greens had really firmed up and I let that get in my head a little bit,” Facciani said. “After making bogeys at Nos. 11, 12, and 15, I knew I had to steady the ship. I thought I would have to birdie in to catch Derek and I gave myself chances on three of the last four holes.”
Hayes was disappointed after erasing Facciani’s lead with a 2-under 33 on the front nine before bogeying three of his last four holes to shoot even-par 71.
“I tried to hit hybrid off the tee on No. 15 and hooked it a little more than I wanted,” Hayes said. “Going from 3-up to 1-up definitely shocks you a little, but I still had room.
“That (first) putt on No. 18 was the longest I had all day and I just never committed to it. The par putt had about 6 inches of break and I just left it a little high. I give the credit to Tom; he played really well all day.”
Richland senior Brady Moran was still in contention deep in the round after making birdie at the par-3 eighth to tie Facciani at 3-under, but a bogey at the ninth followed by a ball out-of-bounds on No. 10 effectively dropped him out of the race. Moran birdied the final hole to shoot 76 for third place with a 216 total.
Aaron Patalune, the 2011 Greater Johnstown champion, posted a final round 73 to finish fourth at 218.
Ebensburg’s Dylan Link shot 76 to finish tied fifth at 219 with Jesse Rager, who posted the low round of the day with a 68.
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Facciani holds on to win City Golf Championship
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