Late birdie binge gives ex-UNLV golfer win on Korn Ferry Tour

Hall birdied five of his final seven holes in regulation, then all three holes in a playoff with Nick Hardy to win the NV5 Invitational.

“I was in the zone the whole day, but particularly those last 10 holes,” Hall said Tuesday while driving through South Carolina on the way to this week’s event in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He said he was barely aware of all the birdies dropping and where he stood on the leaderboard.

“I was just ingrained in the moment, just really calm and focused,” he said. “I was focused on my breathing techniques and was just willing to accept any outcome.”

That outcome was victory and a move from 94th to 17th on the season points list, putting him inside the top 25 where PGA Tour playing cards await at the end of the season. But Hall takes no comfort in being there, instead focused on riding his current hot streak, moving to a more secure position on the points list and getting another victory.

Duplicating his success in Illinois will be a challenge. He led the field in fairway accuracy and putting, a combination that’s impossible to beat.

Hall wasn’t even planning on playing last week, but a good friend from England, Tim Murtaugh, was available to caddie for him and convinced Hall to play. Hall said Murtaugh’s ability to analyze The Glen Club and impact his course management were key.

“Together, we ripped that course apart,” he said.

He also credits a switch three weeks ago to a different driver head and different Callaway ball as making the difference in his ability to move his shots the way he wanted.

Hall has a busy month ahead, continuing to play Korn Ferry events while also trying to qualify for the U.S. Open and the British Open. There’s no slowing down for Hall, despite reaching the top 25.

“I love golf so much,” he said. “There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing.”

Honors for Fioroni

UNLV sophomore Caden Fioroni was one of 25 players named to the PING All-West Region team by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Fioroni, who joined the Rebels this season after one year at Pepperdine, had a team-best 71.22 scoring average, the 10th best in school history. He had 24 rounds at par or better and had three top-10 finishes.

Fioroni also qualified for the NCAA regionals as an individual, earning the top seed for the Stockton regional, but failed to advance to this week’s NCAA Championships.

Chip shots

— The Southern Nevada Golf Association will hold an event to promote the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame and junior golf scholarships June 20 at Bali Hai Golf Club. Cost is $125 for singles or $400 for foursomes. Tee times are available throughout the day. Details and registration: lasvegasgolfhof.com.

— Seth Winterton shot par 72 to win the championship bracket at the SNGA Tour event at Painted Desert last week. Other winners were Robert Futrell (senior), Bruce Swanson (silver) and Dave Haddock (net).

— Bill Fortner beat Jim Foss 0n the fourth extra hole to win the Legacy Men’s Golf Association club championship. Tom Burnip had the low net score.

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.