DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — After maintaining the lead through rounds 2 and 3, former UNA golfer Carter Goodwin finished the final round of the 58th Daikin Spirit of America Golf Classic at 15 under and as champion.

During the final round of play, he finished hole 7 with a bogey and then rallied with back to back to back birdies pretty much securing him as champion.

“Final put drops on 18 its just kind of a sigh of relief its done game over its just an incredible feeling,” said Goodwin.

“Last tournament that I played in I didn’t really have the result that I wanted to so to come back out and get a win in a place that I’ve been coming to for a long time it’s just awesome.”

Goodwin won by four strokes.
And that three-birdie run Goodwin went on in the middle of the round played a huge role in his mentality down the final stretch.

“I made a bogey on seven and I was just like man I kind of need to get going fortunately I was able to make a good put on 8 and then a good shot on 9 and ten just to kind of get it going and that helped propel me in the back nine,” he said.

This win has an even more bittersweet meaning to Goodwin, as he was supposed to turn pro this weekend, but that tournament ended up being canceled.

“I was supposed to make my pro debut kind of this week still amateur and I was already off work so I called Colby you know hey I love this tournament I’d love to get into it obviously super happy that I did so,” he said.

He is no stranger to this tournament.

He’s played in it 5 times finishing as high as sixth, but this time, it’s as champion.