Completed Event: Men's Golf at John A. Burns Intercollegiate on February 12, 2026 , , 13th of 19
M Golf
at John A. Burns Intercollegiate
13th of 19
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Takashi Sato
Mueller earns event trophy, 2nd Phoenix Open trip
7/1/2020 4:29:00 PM | Men's Golf, Paul Coro
GCU Golf Course's PGA Director won with 2 final-round eagles
Jesse Mueller's golf cycle is like a condensed version of an Olympian training to give a peak performance at a particular event.
Mueller aims to be in top form for each year's Southwest PGA Championship and the approach is as undeniably good as his approach shots were for the tournament's three rounds this week.
Mueller won the event Wednesday in Henderson, Nevada, for the second time in four years, giving the GCU Golf Course PGA Director of Golf an exemption to return to the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February.
After winning his debut at the Southwest PGA Championship in 2017, Mueller finished second the past two years. Losing on a fourth sudden-death playoff hole ate away at him for a year until he claimed redemption and $7,500 at this week's event at SouthShore Country Club.
"It's awesome to be able to win an event like that," said Mueller, also a volunteer assistant coach for the GCU men's golf team. "There are two or three events per year when I try to make sure my game is reasonably sharp.
"I don't play or practice as much any more so I never quite know how it's going to be. I really putted well all week, especially in the last round. It was probably one of the better putting days of my life. That's probably what won me this event."
Mueller entered the third and final round in Henderson, Nevada, as a co-leader with PGA veteran Jim Carter and Chris Dompier but emerged with laser focus and accuracy.
An eagle on the par-five opening hole gave Mueller a two-stroke lead, thanks to a 250-yard, 2-iron approach within 5 feet of the pin. He kept an advantage of two to five strokes until the final hole, when Dompier birdied to close the final margin to one stroke. Mueller tapped in his final putt for the win.
Mueller gave himself that buffer by playing Wednesday's first 11 holes at 7 under par, thanks to a 30-foot birdie on No. 7Â and another 5-foot eagle at the par-five 11th hole. Mueller eagled twice in the third round while no other player eagled twice in the tournament. It was an ideal revisit to the zone Mueller would occasionally hit when he was a full-time pro player.
"That was a fun feeling to get to," Mueller said. "Eagling the first hole gave me a two-shot lead on both guys and it kind of put me in the driver's seat all day and they were never able to catch me."
After the first round Monday, Mueller was tied for fifth place and three strokes behind Carter but closed the gap with a 4-under second round Tuesday and a 5-under final round Wednesday to finish at 10 under par.
Mueller played in four local events in June to sharpen his game for this week. Now, he gets seven months to look forward to his second appearance at the famed PGA Tour event in Phoenix.
In 2018, Mueller drew a GCU following of family, friends and Havocs among daily crowds of more than 100,00 but he did not make the cut after two rounds.
Mueller gets another crack at a course he grew up walking as a childhood spectator who grew into being a part of three state championship teams at Mesa Red Mountain High School, an Arizona State player and the 2001 Arizona Golf Association Player of the Year. This time, his son will be 7 years old to be able to remember watching his father on one of golf's grandest stages.
"Being in front of the fans and a different atmosphere that the Phoenix Open had, I'm hoping the second time around that I'll be a little more acclimated to it and be able to play my game," said Mueller, who had finished 51st at a PGA tournament in Las Vegas that year. "Hopefully, I'll have a better result. I'll know the course better and I'll try to prepare a little more because we pretty much shut down for tournaments after September. I'll practice and play more leading up to the event so I'm more ready."
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Mueller aims to be in top form for each year's Southwest PGA Championship and the approach is as undeniably good as his approach shots were for the tournament's three rounds this week.
Mueller won the event Wednesday in Henderson, Nevada, for the second time in four years, giving the GCU Golf Course PGA Director of Golf an exemption to return to the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February.After winning his debut at the Southwest PGA Championship in 2017, Mueller finished second the past two years. Losing on a fourth sudden-death playoff hole ate away at him for a year until he claimed redemption and $7,500 at this week's event at SouthShore Country Club.
"It's awesome to be able to win an event like that," said Mueller, also a volunteer assistant coach for the GCU men's golf team. "There are two or three events per year when I try to make sure my game is reasonably sharp.
"I don't play or practice as much any more so I never quite know how it's going to be. I really putted well all week, especially in the last round. It was probably one of the better putting days of my life. That's probably what won me this event."
Mueller entered the third and final round in Henderson, Nevada, as a co-leader with PGA veteran Jim Carter and Chris Dompier but emerged with laser focus and accuracy.
An eagle on the par-five opening hole gave Mueller a two-stroke lead, thanks to a 250-yard, 2-iron approach within 5 feet of the pin. He kept an advantage of two to five strokes until the final hole, when Dompier birdied to close the final margin to one stroke. Mueller tapped in his final putt for the win.
Mueller gave himself that buffer by playing Wednesday's first 11 holes at 7 under par, thanks to a 30-foot birdie on No. 7Â and another 5-foot eagle at the par-five 11th hole. Mueller eagled twice in the third round while no other player eagled twice in the tournament. It was an ideal revisit to the zone Mueller would occasionally hit when he was a full-time pro player.
"That was a fun feeling to get to," Mueller said. "Eagling the first hole gave me a two-shot lead on both guys and it kind of put me in the driver's seat all day and they were never able to catch me."
After the first round Monday, Mueller was tied for fifth place and three strokes behind Carter but closed the gap with a 4-under second round Tuesday and a 5-under final round Wednesday to finish at 10 under par.
Mueller played in four local events in June to sharpen his game for this week. Now, he gets seven months to look forward to his second appearance at the famed PGA Tour event in Phoenix.
In 2018, Mueller drew a GCU following of family, friends and Havocs among daily crowds of more than 100,00 but he did not make the cut after two rounds.
Mueller gets another crack at a course he grew up walking as a childhood spectator who grew into being a part of three state championship teams at Mesa Red Mountain High School, an Arizona State player and the 2001 Arizona Golf Association Player of the Year. This time, his son will be 7 years old to be able to remember watching his father on one of golf's grandest stages.
"Being in front of the fans and a different atmosphere that the Phoenix Open had, I'm hoping the second time around that I'll be a little more acclimated to it and be able to play my game," said Mueller, who had finished 51st at a PGA tournament in Las Vegas that year. "Hopefully, I'll have a better result. I'll know the course better and I'll try to prepare a little more because we pretty much shut down for tournaments after September. I'll practice and play more leading up to the event so I'm more ready."
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