There was an exciting finish to the inaugural OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank with unsung hero Zack Fischer knocking down a 3-foot par putt on the 18th hole in front of a packed green at the Tascosa Golf Club’s La Paloma layout on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Fischer, who had his family there to greet him on the green immediately after his victory, is quite the Cinderella story as the veteran earns his first win on the Korn Ferry Tour in 171 starts.
“I didn’t even know I’d had 171 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour,” said Fischer, who turned professional in 2011. “I had my first start in 2014 and there were a lot of years when I didn’t have status. To actually now be a champion is really cool.”
Fischer took the outright lead during Saturday’s third round thanks to shooting an 8-under par 62 and was sitting at 13-under par heading Sunday’s final round.
With much cooler temperatures, scores were tougher to come by. Fischer started his day teeing off at noon with two straight pars then a birdie at No. 3 to get to 14-under par for the tournament. The 36-year old was coasting from there with all pars the rest of the front nine.
On the back nine, Fischer had a birdie at No. 11, but found his only blemish when he went out of bounds with a shot on No.14. That resulted in a double bogey, dropping Fischer back to 13-under par. Two holes later, Fischer bounced back with a birdie at the par-3, No. 16, putting him back at 14-under par.
A hole ahead, Ben Carr was making a push with an eagle at No. 17 followed by a birdie at No. 18 that pushed him to 13-under and into the clubhouse. That meant Fischer needed to par his last two holes and that’s exactly what he did, carding a Sunday round of 69.
“I made a putt on No. 9 to save par,” said Fischer, who took home $180,000 for winning the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank. “That putt was huge. The shot on No. 14, I don’t know what happened there, but there were no bad thoughts though it caught me off guard. I just went back to doing some breathing exercises and it kept me in the moment. I just kept focusing on every single shot going forward.”
Locally, It wasn’t the final round Randall High School graduate and New Mexico golfer Wyatt Provence was looking for. Following a 7-under 63 on Saturday, Provence had his ups and downs Sunday, shooting a final round 3-over par 73. Provence needed to get in the top 25 to be invited to the next Korn Ferry Event, however, fell to a tie for 35th at 4-under par over the four days.
Provence started his Sunday excellent with three straight birdies getting to 10-under par at one point, but trouble found Provence on his final three holes on the back nine which resulted in a double bogey along with a pair of bogeys. Provence was never able to recover going forward.
“Playing in this tournament and getting a chance meant a lot to me,” said Provence, who was the only amateur in the field. “But it was very frustrating to shoot 3-over par. I just had a few bad swings and I didn’t get up and down when I needed to. I am super grateful for the crowds I had and to see all the support that was behind me.”
John Daly II became a fan favorite with major crowds following him over four days. Daly II had a solid final round firing a 1-under par 69 to finish his first professional tournament at even par. Daly II was very happy with his first outing and was more grateful for the crowds of Amarillo.
“I was happy to make the cut, but I thought I had too many double bogeys,” Daly II said. “I thought it was a great experience for my first professional tournament, I just have to avoid double bogeys and play better off the tee. I am glad I was able to birdie No. 18. This tournament was a great event. The fans were great all week and very supportive. It was very enjoyable and it felt good.”
Check out the final leaderboard
For a look at the final leaderboard, please visit https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/tournaments/2026/occunet-classic-presented-by-amarillo-national-bank/H2026173
