Hilton Head Island, S.C. – In his 81st career start on the eGolf Gateway Tour, Chris Epperson of Hilton Head Island, S.C. collected his first tour title in runaway fashion at his hometown Palmetto Hall Championship presented by Sonesta HHI, posting rounds of 67-67-69-76—279 (9-under) for a three-shot victory and the event’s $14,000 first-place prize.

The 32-year-old raced out to three- and seven-shot leads through 36 and 54 holes, respectively, leading up to what would be a somewhat uneventful clinic in domination during Saturday’s final round at host Palmetto Hall Plantation’s vaunted Cupp Course.

At 13-under par with cold temperatures and a steady wind in tow, Epperson sought to maintain his stellar pace on day four while playing alongside Vaita Guillaume of Tahiti and six-time tour winner Ryan Nelson of Charleston, S.C.

The local favorite began his march towards victory early with a birdie on the par-5 second and follow-up birdies on Nos. 5 and 8 to help offset a bogey at the par-4 third. With an outward nine of 2-under 34 giving way to a 15-under-par tally, Epperson had built a substantial nine-shot cushion over Guillaume with nine holes to play.

“When you haven’t won, you’re always thinking, “Don’t blow it,’ or, ‘Am I going to do it this time?’” he said. “Making those birdies surely helped. It gives you a little safety net out there, because a lot of things can happen.”

Epperson’s nine-shot cushion came in handy on the closing nine at Palmetto Hall, as bogeys on 10, 13 and 16 surrounded a birdie on the par-5 15th to drop him to 13-under – still seven shots clear of Guillaume, who overcame a double-bogey on the par-4 13th with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 15th.

At the par-4 18th, the tournament took a turn towards the interesting side, as Epperson hit back-to-back approach shots into the pond fronting the green before watching his third trickle back and onto the bulkhead.

“I took some extra club and those shots just slid out over the hazard and didn’t get there,” Epperson said. “The third shot rolled all the way to the end of the bulkhead, but the slope rolled it a few inches back from the water. Unreal.”

Chris Epperson

From there, the stunned frontrunner got up-and-down for an unlikely quadruple-bogey eight, but nevertheless was safe with the win thanks to a final-round 76 and a 9-under 279 total – three shots clear of Guillaume.

“I wanted to throw my hands up, or fist pump on 18 after making a putt,” he said. “After that, I just thought, ‘What an idiot.’ I’m just glad it’s over.”

For Epperson, the victory was a longtime in the making after years of near-misses leading up to and following a win at the prestigious Vancouver Open in 2013.

The Savannah, Ga.-born kid amassed 23 top-10s in 80 eGolf Gateway Tour starts entering the week, including an amazing 11 top-4 finishes between 2012 and 2013 alone. Always the bridesmaid, Epperson nearly won at Palmetto Hall in 2013 as the event’s 54-hole leader before a final-round 77 left him in solo-third place.

“I’m thrilled to death that I’m at home and this is my first win. That is all you can really ask for, I think,” he said. “I’ve wanted to win this tournament for so long. This is the event that has always been on my schedule and I’ve really, really wanted to win. And for my family, my coach, my high school coach, all to be here, in this weather? It’s pretty cool.”

The win not only put a sound $14,000 winner’s share in Epperson’s pocket, but it also validated hard work put in during a winter spent contemplating what went wrong amidst a full 2014 campaign on the Web.com Tour.

After finishing ninth at Q-School in 2013, Epperson ventured off to the PGA TOUR’s developmental circuit, where he made just six of 20 cuts while “forgetting how to be patient” just a step away from golf’s big show.

Too much reliance on caddies, too many glances at the money list, and too much time spent tinkering with a game that needed zero help the two years prior left him on the outside looking in by season’s end.

Vaita Guillaume

But a re-affirmation of self-belief and a drive to make his way back up golf’s ladder gave way to the breakthrough performance at Palmetto Hall, which has the affable Epperson looking towards what could be a great 2015.

“When you have a bad year, you have to take some time to not play and just figure it out. You

either quit or you figure it out, and I’m not quitting,” he said after his round. “My coach always says you have to pull up your boot straps and just get it done. We worked a lot and we practiced a lot when I didn’t want to. Its days like those that make the difference.”

Guillaume finished in solo-second place at 6-under 282 with a final-round 72 – three shots back of Epperson. He earned $8,500 for the week.

Just as importantly, Guillaume earned an exemption into the Web.com Tour’s Rex Hospital Open alongside Epperson, set to be contested this May in Raleigh, N.C.

The tournament granted the tour two exemptions into the event, with the 36-hole leader (Epperson) and the tournament champion (Guillaume by default of his runner-up) earning the spots.

The second-place finish marked two in a row for the Paris-born Guillaume, who notched a runner-up at the 2014 eGolf Tour Championship, contested at Palmetto Hall in December of last year.

Ian Davis of Edmond, Okla. and Drew Weaver of High Point, N.C. finished tied for third at 4-under 284. Both players earned $5,750 for their efforts.

Drew Weaver

Weaver, the 2007 British Amateur champion and a four-time winner on the eGolf Gateway Tour, was in second-place through 36 holes before falling out of the mix with a third-round 75 on Friday.

The former Virginia Tech star made a brief run at the second exemption on Saturday with birdies on 10 and 13 to reach 4-under par, but pared his final five holes for a closing 72.

• The tour would like to thank Palmetto Hall General Head Golf Professional Chip Pellerin, Heritage Golf Group Director of Revenue Lisa Dahlstrom and Director of Tournament Sales Dominic Hausher, as well as their respective staffs, for all of their efforts in making this season-opening event such a success. Head Golf Course Superintendent Brian Murray and his crew are to be commended for producing a wonderful venue in the always-demanding Cupp Course. Last but certainly not least, the tour would like to thank the members of Palmetto Hall Plantation for allowing the tour access to the course this week, and for their tireless efforts in volunteering. They annually go above and beyond the call of duty to help make our events successful.

• A very special “thank you” goes to Palmetto Hall members Nancy Sigmund, Dr. Mike Danoff and Jayne Danoff. Their willingness to take the lead on private housing and their help with volunteers and overall support of the event is tremendous each year. The tour is certainly fortunate to have great member support at Palmetto Hall, and their efforts are a big reason for that.

• The tour would like to thank the Rex Healthcare Foundation, the Rex Hospital Open, and tournament director Brian Krusoe for their efforts in providing two Web.com Tour exemptions to the eGolf Gateway Tour this week. These exemptions provide a world of opportunity to our players.

• The tour will head north next week for the $100,000 Mid Pines Classic, to be contested at Mid Pines Resort in Southern Pines, N.C. on March 4-6. Spots remain available for this event.