Zander Winston won his second Western Pro-Am Golf Tournament championship in three years on Sunday, but the route he took was much different than the one he had when he won the title in 2021.

The Tempe, Ariz., golfer edged Mitch Davis of Bloomington, Ind., by a single stroke at Moccasin Creek Country Club.

“I’ve won three professional events before this,” Winston said, “and this is by far the hardest one.”

Winston, who finished with a three-round total of 204, fought his way through some setbacks on the final day of the tourney, but in the end, found his way back to the top of the field.

“I felt like I wasn’t getting great breaks all day, and it’s really hard to win no matter where you are,” Winston said. “I fought and fought all day, and I had such good shots coming down the stretch, and I just kept pushing.”

Winston, who led by one stroke entering the day, said that he learned a lot about himself during the final round.

“Winning is hard, man,” Winston said. “Everybody coming at your throat, but I got it done.”

Winston was in a tight battle for first place with fellow golfers such as Davis, Ross Miller of Minneapolis, Minn., Parker Klitzke of Lincoln, Neb., and Jake Vincent of Bermuda Dunes, Calif., and even fell behind or was tied at several points throughout the day. Despite the close battle, Winston made it a point to keep his focus and continue hitting good shots.

“Eighteen holes is a long time and leads can change quick, especially out here,” Winston said. “You can make bogie real quick, so you just have to keep your head up, keep pushing, and that’s what I did all day.”

Sunday’s victory was much different from Winston’s other title in 2021, when he got out in front and pulled away from the field on the way to the championship.

“I had a big lead two years ago, so I never really lost the golf tournament. I didn’t really have anyone come at me and this year’s quite different,” Winston said. “I lost the lead after two holes and a lot of people were pushing from the back, so to stay on top, like I said, I just kept pushing, pushing, pushing, trying to hit good golf shots.”

With the win, Winston took home the first-place amount of $21,000 and he was grateful for the payout.

“In the past years I had a pretty good sponsor and I didn’t really have to worry about funding,” Winston said. “I think that’s the hardest part, is this year I’m playing on my own dime, so it means more than any other win I’ve ever had.”

Winston was also quick to thank several friends, family, and others for their support and for giving him the opportunity to be at Moccasin Creek.

“Ross (Santjer), the head greenskeeper, Dean (Zahn), the head pro,” Winston said. “The course is phenomenal. The tournament is run almost as good as any PGA Tour event. Without the (amateur) support, the players wouldn’t be here. That’s where our funding comes from, so without them we couldn’t be here.”

To see complete tournament results, click on the following link:

https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/9169763435343253036