Huntersville, N.C. – T.J. Howe of Osceola, Pa. spent the past two years flying under the radar as one of the top players in the developmental tour industry. Those days of invisibility may have ended this week at the eGolf Gateway Tour’s $100,000 Nova Tax Group Open, as rounds of 69-69-64-66—267 delivered career win No. 5 in runaway fashion, and the event’s $14,000 first place prize.

Howe’s week at host NorthStone Country Club opened with modest rounds of 69-69—138 to reach 4-under par at the event’s halfway point.

On Thursday morning, the former Penn State star moved into overdrive mode, carding the low round of the week with an 8-under 63 to vault to 12-under 201 through 54 holes, good for a three-shot lead over Brendan Kelly of Annapolis, Md. and Ethan Tracy of Columbus, Ohio entering Friday’s fourth and final round.

If there was any chance of Howe playing cautiously on day four, it was eliminated quickly as birdies on Nos. 1 and 2 moved him to 14-under par, suddenly five shots clear of the field on an overcast and damp day just north of Charlotte.

T.J. Howe

“I learned last year not to play conservatively with the lead. I thought birdies would come, and they didn’t,” said Howe, referencing a blown 54-hole lead at last summer’s Sapona Ridge Classic. “The gloves were on from the first tee today. I wanted to stay composed, but stay aggressive, because all of these guys out here are so good. I wasn’t just going to take it.”

With the rest of the field somewhat stagnant in cold temperatures and less-than-ideal scoring conditions, Howe put career win No. 5 on ice late on his opening nine, posting birdies on Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 9 to turn in 6-under 30.

“The last two days, I hit really good shots into six, and today I hit it to 15 feet and two-putted for birdie,” said Howe, who made a 15-footer on No. 7 and got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 eighth. “On No. 9, I hit it to 6 feet and put it right in the middle. Seemed that every 6- to 10-footer I had was going in. Not lipping in, but going in right in the middle. That’s a pretty good feeling.”

At 18-under par for the tournament, he was an unfathomable eight shots ahead of the field with just nine holes to play.

“I’ve learned from experience that if you lay off the gas, big numbers can happen,” he said. “I turned at 18-under, so I wanted to get to 20-under, just to have a goal.”

On the tough par-4 12th, a missed 4-footer left Howe with his first bogey of the day and just his second in his prior 38 holes at NorthStone.

The back-nine blemish dropped him to 17-under par, but still seven shots clear of the field with six holes to play.

A bogey on the par-4 16th, courtesy of a short par putt miss, took Howe down to 16-under par – at the time just five shots ahead of Kelly.

Howe pared the tough 17th, then hit an approach to the 18th to the front fringe, setting up a possible walk-off birdie from 20 feet.

“All I was thinking over that putt was, ‘It would be cool to birdie this hole for a fourth straight day,’” he said. “I’ve never had a big birdie on 18 to win. And even though I didn’t need it to go in, I still thought about holing it.”

As he had done for the prior 71 holes, Howe wasted little time in converting one last birdie try for the week, wrapping up a final-round 66 and a 17-under-par total – good for a six-shot win and an extra $14,000 in his pocket.

“It has been a good start to the year,” said Howe. “I’ve been close, so this is a big boost for me. I cherish each win, because you never if it’s going to be your last. I’ll probably enjoy this for a day and then get back to work.”

With five wins in his last 23 months on the eGolf Gateway Tour, Howe has asserted himself as one of the best developmental players in the country.

Along with his comfort level in winning, however, comes a comfort level in going low. As in, video-game-with-your-buddies low.

In a three-win 2013 season, Howe posted a 63 at the Southern Open, and a first-round 64 in the Mid Pines Classic, which he went on to win for his second title of the year.

In 2014, the Charlotte, N.C. resident took his red figures a bit deeper, threatening 59 during a third-round 61 in the Mimosa Hills Open, where he was victorious for career win No. 4.

Just two months later, Howe’s putter struck again at the Sapona Ridge Classic with a course-record 61 in the third round that gave way to a T3 finish – one of five top-10s on the year.

His Thursday 63 at NorthStone was of the same ilk on a golf course yielding few red numbers throughout the week.

“I’m not sure why I’m able to do that. When I drive it well off the tee, I’ll give myself good looks on a lot of holes,” he said. “If a couple of putts drop in a row, then it’s kind of a green light for me. It seems like the more birdies I get, the more comfortable I am.”

Christian Brand

Common thought is that the game’s best young players need to have the ability to blackout on occasion en route to a low number. There is little doubt that Howe has that unique ability.

“I don’t think I shot anything below 67 or 66 in competition up until a few years ago. But once you get a taste of it, you start piling it on. It almost feels as if nothing can go wrong, so you keep attacking.”

Christian Brand of Charleston, W.V. played his final 13 holes in 4-under par to earn runner-up honors at 11-under 273. He earned $8,600 on the week.

The former Marshall University standout has been knocking on the door over the past two years of competition on the eGolf Gateway Tour.

Brand recorded a pair of top-5s in his final four starts of 2013 before racking up three top-3s in just nine starts in 2014 – including a runner-up at the Willow Creek Open in May.

Brendan Kelly

Kelly wound up bogeying the 17th to drop to 10-under par, but had a 5-foot birdie try on 18 to match Brand at 11-under for second place. His putt at the last slid by, leaving the former Villanova golfer with a final-round 70 and a career-best, third-place finish at 10-under 274.

Kelly earned $6,600 for his efforts.

The week marked a second-straight top-5 for the 26-year-old, dating back to a T4 finish at the Mid Pines Classic two weeks ago, where a missed birdie try at the last left him one shot outside of a three-man playoff.

Zach Caldwell of Dawsonville, Ga. continued his recent play of late with a solo-fourth-place finish at 8-under 276. He earned $5,100.

The tour rookie opened his 2015 season with a T4 finish at Mid Pines after flirting with the tournament title over the final six holes. Caldwell birdied 12 and 13 to move into contention during the final round, but bogeyed the 17th to fall one shot out of the eventual playoff.

• The tour would like to thank NorthStone director of golf Courtney Ford and his staff for their assistance in running and organizing this event. Head golf course superintendent Darrin Spierings and his crew should be commended for their efforts during long days in putting forth a great venue for the week. The biggest thanks goes to the members of NorthStone, who graciously allowed the tour access to their course for the week, and volunteered their time to help with starting, scoring and shuttling.

• Special thanks goes to Nova Tax Group for their sponsorship of this event and their continued support of the tour. For more information on Nova Tax Group, please visit www.novataxgroup.com.

• The tour will be off next week before returning to action on April 1-4 for the sixth annual Championship at St. James Plantation, to be contested at the Reserve Club at St. James in Southport, N.C.