The Eagle has Landed
GOLF: VanArragon's eagle provides storybook finish for former Valparaiso golfer
GLENVIEW, Ill. - Caleb VanArragon may have felt the weight of the world on his shoulders as he made one final push to the 18th green on Sunday afternoon.
The former Valparaiso golfer and Korn Ferry Tour rookie found himself in a pressure-packed situation with a collection of family and friends watching during the final day of the NV5 Invitational at The Glen Club in Glenview.
His parents came from his hometown of Blaine, Minnesota. His girlfriend flew in from Florida just hours before the final round started. His college roommate made a similar journey from the Pacific Northwest.
Valparaiso men’s golf coach David Gring was joined in the gallery by a litany of former Crusaders and Beacons. Some played with VanArragon, others just wanted to support someone who wore the same uniform.
Playing in front of the largest crowd of supporters he’s ever had at a tournament, VanArragon gave them a show on 18 by hitting one of the biggest shots of his life.
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VanArragon entered Sunday’s round sitting in second place, but after a grueling 17 holes that featured a dozen oh-so-close putts that resulted in pars instead of birdies, the Korn Ferry newcomer found himself on the outside looking in on a top 10 finish.
“Heading up to (18), it had been a pretty annoying day,” VanArragon said. “My caddy said if we birdie this, we’ll still be top 10. I swear I actually told him right before my shot that if we eagle it, we’re pretty much set for the year.”
Facing the third shot of a par 5, VanArragon was 112 yards from the pin. He analyzed what eventual tournament champion Johnny Keefer did on his shot to the green and decided to use his wedge. He made contact with the ball and followed as it hit the green. It bounced. It rolled. It dropped.
Euphoria.
VanArragon threw his club in the air and raised his arms while the gallery erupted in cheers. Keefer, who won the tournament by two strokes, ran over to congratulate VanArragon on a season-changing shot.
“I blacked out for a minute there,” VanArragon said. “The way people describe a car crash where everything just goes really slow and it’s like you don’t even realize you’re there. I literally went into shock because I was so surprised to see the ball go in.”
Hitting a shot like that in high school or college might mean a bigger trophy or a nicer medal, but VanArragon’s eagle had much more significance when you factor in money and points. Had he finished outside the top 10 (likely in a tie for 14th), VanArragon was looking at roughly a $15,000 payday. Had he landed on the green and delivered a birdie, he would’ve earned close to $23,000 for an eighth-place finish. By hitting the eagle, VanArragon walked away from the tournament with a personal-best seventh-place finish as well as a $30,750 payday. He also earned 87 points in the Korn Ferry Tour standings and currently sits in 62nd place. The top 75 players at the end of the year retain fully exempt status for the following year.
“That was a $10,000 shot,” VanArragon said. “It was just a huge shot.”
While the eagle will live on as one of the biggest shots of his life, it is just one part of what was a memorable weekend for VanArragon. He was able to compete with former Valparaiso teammate Anthony Delisanti and he was able to perform in front of a large group of family and friends.
“The support was just unbelievable,” VanArragon said. “I’ve never had that before. At the start of the round I think I said hi to 20 or 30 people that I personally knew. A bunch of teammates I hadn’t seen in years. My parents were here. My girlfriend and her family were here. There were so many people that I’m going to forget some of them.”
While the fan support meant the world to VanArragon, he did his level best to block out any distractions and stick to his game. The game was also sticking it to him. Putts that were falling for the first three days were suddenly lipping out or coming up a foot short. Six holes through the day he could’ve easily been 6-under, instead he was even. He finally found a birdie on 10, only to fall right back into four straight pars. Disaster struck on 15 with his first bogey of the day, and his first in the last 23 holes of the tournament. Another bogey came on 17, a hole he had birdied twice earlier in the weekend.
“It’s really easy to get negative when you don’t get any good breaks over and over,” VanArragon said. “I was negative a bit. It’s easy when there’s that much pressure and that much desire for the result to get frustrated when you’re not getting the result. I think I did a great job of staying focused. The results weren’t there until the last hole and I feel like that hole was kind of the reward of me going through all of that. Golf is a process over and over again and if you go through the process, you have to accept the result and then move on to the next one. I feel like I had been doing so well and just not getting any results until that last shot. That was my reward.”
VanArragon was back in the air on Monday morning as the Korn Ferry Tour will make its next stop in Ogden, Utah at the Utah Championship beginning on Thursday. There are six tournaments remaining this season before the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in early October. That event will be held in Indiana at the French Lick Golf Resort from Oct. 9-12.
The Victory Bell will have more coverage of the Korn Ferry NV5 Invitational on Tuesday morning, including a look at Anthony Delisanti’s first professional tournament as well as the impact VanArragon and Delisanti’s professional journey is having on Valparaiso coach David Gring.
(Photos by Western Golf Association)
Paul, terrific story! You really captured the emotions that surround a player's pursuit of a title in the final round of a PGA Korn Ferry event! Thank you!
great story--VanArragon is easy to root for!