OU alum Charlie Saxon wins Phoenix Tree Open
NORMAN — Oklahoma men’s golf alum Charlie Saxon took the title at the Zhuhai Hengqing Phoenix Tree Open on Sunday, winning the PGA TOUR China event by four strokes.
Saxon, a member of the 2015 graduating class, finished the four-round tournament with an overall 277 (-7), easily clearing runner-up Callum Tarren’s 281 (-3). The former Sooner shot a 69, 68, 67 and 73 in each of the four rounds.
“Today was good,” Saxon said after Sunday’s final round. “I knew it was going to be a tough day even though I had a significant lead to start the round. Any time you’re playing with the lead it’s difficult and brings new challenges mentally. I kind of got off to a bit of a rocky start.
“After that, though, I started to play pretty solid,” Saxon continued. “I made a lot of pars coming in. I didn’t really have my best stuff today, but I was able to get around it and I hit some good shots when I needed to. I made some really clutch putts that kind of kept my momentum going … All in all it was a great day, and I accomplished what I wanted to, to win. I really didn’t care how I did it, as long as I won.”
The Phoenix Tree Open title marks Saxon’s second tournament win of the year. He also finished first in Beijing at the Ping An Bank Open.
More information on the PGA TOUR China Series can be found at the organization’s website.