Tim Widing wins Veritex Bank Championship, breaks scoring records for back-to-back victories
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Tim Widing finished 31 under at Texas Rangers Golf Club for a four-stroke win over Myles Creighton. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Sweden native moves to verge of first PGA TOUR card
ARLINGTON, Texas – Morning thunderstorms delayed the start of Sunday’s final round by five hours, but they hardly deterred Tim Widing’s patience. By the end of the 10th hole, another Widing (pronounced VEE-ding) victory felt inevitable.
A second win in as many weeks would assuredly be his. The only unknowns were how low Widing would go, and which records the 26-year-old Swede would break as he pulled away from the field at the Veritex Bank Championship.
Even with two bogeys in the final round, Widing carded an 8-under 63 and totaled 31-under 253 for a four-stroke victory. Widing birdied three of the final four holes Sunday, including a record-breaking birdie at the par-5 18th which broke the Korn Ferry Tour record for the lowest 72-hole score relative to par.
Widing’s total score of 253 marked the second-lowest 72-hole score in Korn Ferry Tour history, only behind Stephan Jaeger’s 30-under 250 from the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae.
Widing, who won last week’s LECOM Suncoast Classic, became the 13th player (14th occurrence) in Korn Ferry Tour history to win back-to-back events, with the most recent being Chan Kim last August. Widing also became the 12th player in Tour history to win twice in the first nine events of a Korn Ferry Tour season, with the most recent being Ben Kohles, who accomplished the feat last season en roue to a No. 1 finish on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
“Monday night I was still just trying to soak in what I just did last week,” Widing said. “Of course I want to run it back and win again, but I was just still over the moon from my win last week. I told the guys yesterday I was just playing better, relaxed, and having a lot of fun out there on the course, and I think that helped a lot with the nerves, especially today.”
Lowest 72-hole score relative to par in Korn Ferry Tour history
| RTP (Score) | Player | Tournament (Round Scores / Finish) |
| -31 (253) | Tim Widing | 2024 Veritex Bank Championship(62-63-65-63 / Won) |
| -30 (258) | Daniel Chopra | 2004 Henrico County Open(65-63-65-65 / Won) |
| -30 (250) | Stephan Jaeger | 2016 Ellie Mae Classic(58-65-64-63 / Won) |
| -29 (255) | Steve Wheatcroft | 2011 Melwood Prince George’s County Open(66-60-65-64 / Won) |
| -28 | Three Times | Last: Chan Kim/2023 Albertsons Boise Open(66-62-64-64 / Won) |
Lowest 72-hole score in Korn Ferry Tour history
| Score (RTP) | Player | Tournament (Round Scores / Finish) |
| 250 (-30) | Stephan Jaeger | 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae(58-65-64-63 / Won) |
| 253 (-31) | Tim Widing | 2024 Veritex Bank Championship(62-63-65-63 / Won) |
| 254 (-26) | Norman Xiong | 2022 Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open (66-61-64-63 / Won) |
| 255 (-29) | Steve Wheatcroft | 2011 Melwood Prince George’s County Open(66-60-65-64 / Won) |
| 256 (-28) | Martin Piller | 2015 Albertsons Boise Open(61-63-65-67 / Won) |
| 256 (-28) | Chan Kim | 2023 Albertsons Boise Open(66-62-64-64 / Won) |
Widing carried a two-stroke lead into the final round and battled windy conditions Sunday afternoon en route to a 3-under 32 on the front nine. Hardly anyone remained within striking distance of Widing by that point, and an eagle at the par-5 10th effectively set up a drama-free back nine.
“After nine holes, both Frankie (Capan III) and Trent (Phillips) played amazing golf, and that kept me very focused on my own game,” Widing said, noting his eagle at the par-5 10th felt like a critical moment in the round. “To see it go in was a big relief. I think that was probably the turning point today to just keep going.”
As it turned out, neither of Widing’s playing partners in the final group was his closest competitor. That honor went to Canadian Myles Creighton, who made a birdie of his own on No. 18 for his 32nd birdie of the week, which would have been a new Korn Ferry Tour record had Widing not upstaged him with 33 birdies.
Creighton made some history, though. At 27-under 257, Creighton recorded the lowest 72-hole score relative to par by a runner-up in Korn Ferry Tour history, in addition to tying Rhein Gibson’s 23-under 257 from the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae as the lowest 72-hole score by a runner-up in Tour history.
Most birdies in a 72-hole event in Korn Ferry Tour history
| Birdies | Player | Tournament (Score/RTP | Finish) |
| 33 | Tim Widing | 2024 Veritex Bank Championship (253/-31 | Won) |
| 32 | Myles Creighton | 2024 Veritex Bank Championship (257/-27 | 2nd) |
| 31 | Craig Lile | 2003 Omaha Classic (264/-24 | 2nd) |
| 31 | Brandt Snedeker | 2004 Price Cutter Charity Championship(264/-24 | 2nd) |
| 31 | Ken Duke | 2006 Price Cutter Charity Championship(264/-24 | T3) |
| 31 | Steve Wheatcroft | 2011 Melwood Prince George’s County Open(255/-29 | Won) |
| 31 | David Kocher | 2022 Price Cutter Charity Championship(260/-28 | Won) |
Most birdies and eagles in a 72-hole event in Korn Ferry Tour history
| Total (Birdies-Eagles) | Player | Tournament (Score/RTP | Finish) |
| 34 (33-1) | Tim Widing | 2024 Veritex Bank Championship(253/-31 | Won) |
| 33 (30-3) | Norman Xiong | 2022 Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open(254/-26 | Won) |
| 32 (31-1) | Steve Wheatcroft | 2011 Melwood Prince George’s County Open(255/-29 | Won) |
| 32 (32-0) | Myles Creighton | 2024 Veritex Bank Championship(257/-27 | 2nd) |
| 31 | Eight Times | Last: Camilo Villegas/2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship (30 birdies, one eagle | 275/-13 | 22nd) |
While Widing attempted yet again to soak in a career-changing victory, everyone around him recognized the significance of the moment. It was hardly about the records, even as his peers were awestruck by the final tally. It was instead about what lie ahead for Widing.
Since 2007, when the Korn Ferry Tour first awarded at least 25 PGA TOUR cards, every multi-time winner went on to earn a TOUR card at season’s end
“My mindset is still… this is our ninth event of the year, so there’s still many more to go,” Widing said. “(The) PGA TOUR has always been a dream since I started playing golf. We’re not there yet, so I’m still trying to play good this year and still work on the things me and my team have been doing over the last couple months. It’s easy to kind of look ahead, but I’m just trying to be here right now and enjoy this moment, see wherever it takes me.”
A promotion to the PGA TOUR could come even sooner for Widing via the Three-Victory Promotion. In three weeks, Widing will head to Kansas City for the AdventHealth Championship, where he will take his first attempt at becoming the 12th player in Tour history to earn the Three-Victory Promotion.
For the time being, however, it could not be further from his mind.
“Even after last week, I really wanted to just go home and soak it in with friends,” Widing said. “Probably going to be playing a lot of hockey. I’m really looking forward to that.
“Just take a few days off and really, again, process what just happened, and enjoy it.
Final-Round Notes
- The cumulative tournament scoring average of 67.874 marks the second-lowest tournament scoring average in Korn Ferry Tour history (67.703/2023 Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open)
- Trent Phillips (3rd/-26) posts his second top-three finish of the season (T2/The Panama Championship); his 26-under 258 marks the lowest 72-hole score by a third-place finisher in Korn Ferry Tour history, breaking the previous record of 260 jointly held by Kevin Yu/2022 Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open, Tom Whitney/2023 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS, and Ryan McCormick/2023 NV5 Invitational
- Frankie Capan III (4th/-24), who carded a 13-under 58 in Thursday’s first round for the 13th sub-60 round and third round of 58 or lower in Korn Ferry Tour history, posts a third consecutive top-10; he recorded three top-10s in 22 starts as a rookie on Tour last season
- Korn Ferry Tour winner Evan Harmeling (T5/-23) cards the low round of the day with final-round 10-under 61, records his second career top-10 (Win/2020 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club) in what was his 80th career start on Tour
- Open qualifiers Hunter Eichhorn (T5/-23) and Griffin Wood (T16/-19), along with sponsor exemption Yuxin Lin (8th/-22) earn a spot in the next Korn Ferry Tour event (AdventHealth Championship) via their respective top-25s