Six Beats Seven: Hatch Finally Breaks Through at Troon North

There aren't many things Casey Hatch hasn't done on the Summer Tour.

He's been part of 2-Man victories, competed in his share of singles playoffs, and established himself as one of the best players on Tour. Sunday at Troon North was more evidence — another low gross, this time a 74, 4 clear of his closest competitor.

But one box had stubbornly remained unchecked: a solo Summer Tour victory.

Not anymore.

Hatch finished regulation tied with Tim Kartman at net 73, then survived a one-hole playoff that wasn't exactly destined for the instructional-video section of the Summer Tour archives.

Casey Hatch is finally a Summer Tour champion.

A 74 That Needed One More Hole

The Scottsdale Championship brought 29 players to Troon North's Pinnacle Course for the penultimate event of the 2026 season, with a different challenge before anyone hit a shot.

Summer Tour tee times are usually early enough to avoid the worst of the Phoenix summer. Getting onto Troon North at a reasonable price changed the equation Sunday, with groups heading out around and after noon and the temperature topping out at 111 degrees.

The tradeoff was a Pinnacle Course in great shape. The price was having to play it in the teeth of an August afternoon.

Hatch handled it better than anyone from tee to green, although his 74 was hardly a tidy trip around Troon North. Playing partners described an up-and-down round featuring three doubles alongside an eagle and three birdies. There were some unlucky bounces, but Casey repeatedly scrambled his way out of trouble.

Then came 18.

Hatch doubled the finishing hole to post net 73. Being in the second group, he couldn't have known how costly it might be. As it turned out, even a bogey would have won the tournament outright.

Instead, he waited roughly 90 minutes as the remaining groups came in. Nobody beat 73, but Kartman matched it with a gross 86, net 73.

One more hole.

The Pillow Fight

There was reason for Hatch to like the matchup when they returned to No. 1. He had birdied the hole during regulation while Kartman made par.

The playoff version would bear very little resemblance to that.

Casey opened with a beautiful drive into the middle of the fairway. Kartman went right and was forced to lay up. Advantage Hatch.

Then Casey pulled his approach and let Tim right back in.

Kartman's next shot went right of the green and appeared destined for the desert before it was found. Casey was out of position too. Eventually both worked their way to the left side of the green, where the quality of golf inspired Kevin Hall to deliver the definitive scouting report:

A "pillow fight."

They both got down in three from there. Hatch made double-bogey 6, his 4th of the day. Kartman made triple-bogey 7, his only triple on the day.

Six beats seven, and after all the close calls, Casey finally had his first solo Summer Tour victory.

We'll leave the rest of the group-chat celebration unpublished. Niles, if this lasts more than four hours, you should probably see a doctor.

Kartman Moves Up, Hatch Moves Way Up

The playoff loss shouldn't obscure what Kartman accomplished. His runner-up finish earned 330 Desert Cup points and moved him from fifth to third in the season standings at 2,113, just ahead of Spencer Harter at 2,103.

Pj Singh finished third at net 74, with Nick Auditore and Brad Thompson sharing fourth at 76. Daniel Breidenbach, Dale Cohen, Kevin Hall and Joel Miller tied for sixth at 77.

The cut landed at net 80. Mike Cummings and Ken Galica tied for 10th at 78, Bob Romero finished 12th at 79, and Harter, Tyler Mason, Dan McGurren, Jeff Mullens and Jay Satchfield grabbed the final paying positions at 80. Matthew Newsome and Nick Schroff were the first two out at 81.

But nobody changed his Desert Cup situation more dramatically than Hatch.

The victory was worth 550 points, launching Casey from outside the season's Top 10 all the way to seventh with 1,790 heading into the finale.

Brennon Shay remains comfortably on top at 2,787, followed by Dale Cohen at 2,397. Kartman is now third, followed by Harter and Auditore. Kevin Hall sits sixth, Hatch seventh, Newsome eighth and Miller ninth.

And then there's the bubble.

Jonathan Chorley holds the final Top-10 money position with 1,607 points.

Brad Pilon has 1,606.

One point.

Chris Kazienko isn't far behind either at 1,573 and is coming back into town to compete in the Tour Championship in an attempt to earn a coveted spot in the top 10. With the season-ending Top 10 earning year-end money, the Tour Championship has plenty left to settle.

The Consolation Match Will Have to Wait

The scheduled Individual Match Play consolation between Commissioner Brad Pilon and Matthew Newsome never made it to the first tee.

Pilon suffered a serious back injury shortly after his Copper Canyon victory two weeks ago and played through significant pain at Eagle Mountain last week, where he shot 108. A doctor's visit Friday revealed a serious bulging disc, with surgery considered a possibility.

Brad is awaiting the official report and holding out hope for better news — and a chance to play Newsome next Saturday and compete in the Tour Championship.

For now, the consolation match moves to next week with no result or advancement.

Here's hoping the news is good and the recovery is quick. The field is always better with the Commish in it. And apparently the Tour Championship's Top-10 bubble wasn't complicated enough without putting him exactly one point outside the money. Note: He will automatically receive 100 points for 4th place even if he can't go next week. So he still has a chance to sneak into the top 10 without teeing it up again.

One Tournament Left

Twenty-five events are complete. One remains.

Next week's two-day Tour Championship at Wigwam will decide the 2026 season, and almost everything is still on the line. Shay brings the Desert Cup lead, Kartman has rocketed into third, Hatch arrives fresh off his first solo victory and a spot inside the Top 10, and the final year-end money positions are separated by almost nothing.

The season ends at Wigwam — and it ends with a fight.

Join us next week for the two day Tour Championship. Registration closes at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Remember, points are doubled, so the winner will receive 1,000 points.

Then we'll stick around to celebrate the season, crown our Desert Cup champion and Top 10 finishers, close out accounts as requested, and start looking ahead to what's next.

One tournament. One final push. One last chance to change everything.