Palm Desert, CA – Tom Whitney of Fort Collins, CO may have taken the road less traveled on the way to professional golf, but nevertheless took the route that suited him best. The former Air Force Academy standout won eGolf West’s inaugural Avondale Open on Friday in runaway fashion, closing with a 7-under 64 to post 15-under for the week – good for a four-shot victory and the event’s $9,500 first-place prize.

Whitney entered Friday’s final round at host Avondale Golf Club at 8-under par following rounds of 69-65, trailing overnight leader Gregor Main of Danville, CA by two shots.

Right out of the gate, Whitney was first to strike, birdieing the first two holes to reach 10-under par before taking the lead outright when Main bogeyed the par-3 third. From there, the 24-year-old never looked back, adding birdies on Nos. 7 and 9 to turn at 4-under 32, then keeping his foot on the gas with birdies at 12 and 14 to reach 6-under par for the day, and 14-under for the week.

With the field keeping its distance from his torrid pace, Whitney pared Nos. 15 through 17 before closing out the tournament in proper style with a birdie at the par-5 finishing hole to round out a 7-under 64. His 15-under-par tally for the tournament was good for a four-shot victory over Grant Norton of Rancho Murrieta, CA and Grant Rappleye of Elk Grove, CA.

“I gave up a career that pays very well with a lot of support in order to play professional golf, where there are no guarantees and you’re on your own most of the time,” said Whitney after the win. “This is my debut as a full-time professional golfer, so this win really reaffirms that decision.”

Tom Whitney

Whitney won four college tournaments and set four various school-scoring records during his tenure as arguably the Falcons’ all-time best player. After competing in both the 2009 U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, he turned professional in 2010, competing in two to three events annually while on active duty. The Lake Tahoe, CA native finished active duty with the Air Force in May 1st of this year after serving in the 319th Missile Squadron at FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

With the win, Whitney becomes just the second winner of an eGolf-sanctioned event to have gone on active duty after competing at one of the United States service academies, joining current PGA TOUR member Billy Hurley III, who earned his first professional title at the eGolf Tour’s Cedarwood Classic in 2006.

Hurley, who stared for four years at the Naval Academy before serving his country overseas, cited the time management skills he learned in Annapolis as a big reason for his success. For both Hurley and Whitney, there is a perceived disadvantage when your peers spend 24 hours a day on golf for four years at a major Division-I program.

That perception is nowhere near reality for either one.

“I can totally agree with Billy. I wouldn’t do it any other way either. The last four years have been the best of my life, as I made great friends and great mentors,” said Whitney. “I’m glad I didn’t do a different route on my own. I’ll always be an Air Force guy for the rest of my life.”

• The tour would like to thank Avondale head golf professional Nik Remer, head golf superintendent Jeff Comer, and their respective staffs for their help in making this first-year event such a success.

• eGolf West will be off next week before returning to action with the inaugural Mountain View Classic, to be contested Mountain View Country Club in La Quinta, CA on May 20-22, 2014.