Trace Crowe needed a pair of crucial putts and two extra holes to become the winner of the NV5 Invitational.

Crowe, best known to Upstate golf followers as a former Easley High School golfer and Auburn grad, came into the Korn-Ferry Tour stop in Glenview, Illinois ranked 146th on the Tour’s priority ranking.

The win moved him up to the 35th spot and he now is within striking distance of one of the top-30 spots on the Tour to earn a spot on the PGA Tour next year.

“I’m still in shock,” Crowe said. “It’s a crazy feeling. It’s been a long, tough, interesting season. To be standing here… it still hasn’t sunk in. I’m just blown away just how good everyone is, and I feel like I just played unreal the last couple days,” he said.

It has been a battle for Crowe just to get into tournaments during his second year on the Korn-Ferry Tour with his conditional status.

Until the win on Sunday Crowe had not posted a top-10 finish in his 28 Korn-Ferry Tour starts. His best finish was 11th at the Home Town Lenders Championship in Huntsville.

The win by Crowe was even more remarkable when you consider that he carded a triple-bogey early in the round,

“I never was going to quit,” Crowe said. “Just straight back into chase mode. That was my only thought, just keep hitting good shots and just relax and enjoy it.”

It seemed Patrick Fishburn had the advantage on each of the playoff holes, but Crowe somehow managed to force a second playoff hole and then win his first Korn-Ferry tournament with a par.

Crowe needed a double-breaking 20-footer for birdie to stay alive after Fishburn made his birdie on the first playoff hole.

“That putt was massive,” Crowe said. “I don’t think (Fishburn) saw that one going in. I think that probably threw him for a loop.”

On the second playoff hole, Crowe’s strategy of laying up paid off when Fishburn’s shot wound up in a trap he was not able to get out of.

Crowe rolled in a two putt par for the win and now has put him in position to play the rest of the season for a spot in the top-30 rather than worry about just getting into tournaments.

“You really never know how many starts you’re going to get,” Crowe said of playing with conditional status the last two seasons. “To now be in a position where I can possibly earn a PGA TOUR card, it’s a dream come true.” noted Crowe.

Two other upstate golfers also had good tournaments at the NV5 championship.

Inman’s Jacob Bridgeman shot a final round 64 to move up 31 places and tie for 16th

Trent Phillips also had a very good final round shooting a 4-under par 68 to move up 17 spots and finish tied for 30th.

***The PGA Tour Korn-Ferry Staff contributed to this report,

Korn Ferry Tour scores from the NVS Invitational https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/tournaments/2023/nv5-invitational-presented-by-old-national-bank/H2023131/leaderboard