March 15, 2009

It took a trip to New Zealand for PING pro Alex Prugh to feel at home on the Nationwide Tour. The Spokane, Washington native cruised to a three-shot victory at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open against a backdrop of snow-covered mountains and chilling temperatures early in the week. It was his first Nationwide Tour victory since joining the circuit in 2008 after an All-American career at the University of Washington.

“Where I grew up in eastern Washington, near the Idaho border, it looked a lot like this place,” Prugh said of the mountainous terrain surrounding the Hills Golf Club near Queenstown.

A back nine 30, which included an eagle on the par-5 17th, completed a final round 64 and was the difference for the 24-year-old Prugh, who held off fellow PING pro Martin Piller to claim the $108,000 winners’ check. Piller, playing in only his fourth Nationwide event, entered the final round leading by one. His runner-up finish was his second top 10 finish in his rookie campaign.

Both players relied on the new PING Rapture V2 driver and S57 irons. Prugh also used a G10 4-wood, Rapture V2 5-wood, three Tour-W wedges and a Karsten Craz-E (mid-length) putter. Piller relied on the new Rapture V2 3-wood, a Rapture V2 20-degree hybrid and a Redwood ZB putter.