Aug. 11, 2008
SAN DIEGO - Former San Diego State golfer Scott Piercy fired an even-par 71 on Sunday to win the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open at the 6,886-yard, par-71 Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kan. The Aztec alumnus posted a four-round total of 22-under-par 262 en route to his first Nationwide Tour victory, holding off Daniel Summerhays (67), Spencer Levin (67) and Hunter Haas (70), who each finished at 20-under 264 to tie for the runner-up spot. With his score, Piercy also established a new tournament record, besting Ben Crane's standard of 263 set in 2000.
After a dubious start with bogeys on the first and seventh holes, Piercy recovered nicely by draining a pair of birdies on the par-5 14th and the par-3 17th. On the 17th green, the Las Vegas, Nev., native watched anxiously as Levin sank a dramatic 45-foot birdie putt. Unfazed, Piercy followed with a 20-footer of his own to effectively seal the win. Summerhays, in the next-to-last group, failed to apply any pressure after making par 5 on the 18th hole, while Haas' birdie-birdie finish came too little too late.
After collecting the $94,500 winner's share, Piercy moved up 88 spots into 35th place on the Nationwide Tour money list for 2008. In 2007, he took home a $2 million paycheck by winning the Ultimate Game in his hometown of Las Vegas.
A three-year letterwinner at San Diego State from 1998-2001, Piercy's best season for the Aztecs came as a junior during the 1999-2000 campaign when he led the squad with a 72.55 stroke average, while capturing two individual titles and finishing in the top 20 on seven other occasions en route to a spot on the all-Mountain West Conference team. As a sophomore, he also posted SDSU's lowest score (78-78) at the 1999 NCAA Championships, the Aztecs' first appearance in the tournament since 1982.
During his playing career on Montezuma Mesa, Piercy was a teammate of current San Diego State head coach Ryan Donovan.