NICOLO GALLETTI SHOOTS 4-UNDER 66 IN FINAL ROUND FOR ONE-SHOT WIN AT 2024 DESERT FINANCIAL OPEN PRESENTED BY UNITED RENTALS

FINISHED 14-UNDER PAR FOR THE TOURNAMENT TO EDGE PAST ALEX CHIARELLA AND JOSEPH FRYER

Release Date:

July 10, 2024

Media Contact:

Ryan Woodcock

Woody@cruzwood.com 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Nicolo Galletti (Phoenix, Ariz.) put in a solid week at Talking Stick Resort, shooting 14-under par over the three days to win the 2024 edition of the Desert Financial Open Presented by United Rentals.  The leaderboard was tight coming down the stretch, but his final-round 4-under 64 was enough to earn the one-stroke win, edging out Alex Chiarelli (San Diego, Calif.) and Joseph Fryer (Long Beach, Calif.) who finished T2 at 13-under par.  The win was Galletti’s ninth career professional win and comes a year after his runner-up finish at the 2023 Desert Financial Open, a one-shot loss to Andre Metzger.

There was a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard to start the final round, with Wil Collins (Albuquerque, N.M.), Perry Cohen (La Jolla, Calif.), Fryer and John Sand (Hoquiam, Wash.) all at 11-under par.  Galletti started the final day one shot back at 10-under, thanks in part to his sizzling bogey-free 8-under 62 in the second round.

“The second round was huge coming off a pretty below average first round,” Galletti said.  “I knew that I needed a really good second round if I wanted to be anywhere near the lead going into the last day, so I was pumped walking off the course with a 62 to give myself a chance.  Going into that final round, my target score for that day was a 64, which would’ve put me at 16-under, which I thought was going to be the winning score.”

Playing in the last group, Collins broke out early with three birdies through the first six holes to get to 14-under, and after making bogey on the par-4 ninth, made the turn with the lead at 13-under.

Galletti, playing in the second to last group, made par on the first two holes, gave one back with a bogey on the par-3 sixth hole, then threw in a birdie on nine to make the turn at 12-under, just one shot off the lead.  Lukas Euler (Scottsdale) carded a 32 on the back and made the turn at 11-under, while Chiarelli stayed within striking distance and made the turn at 10-under par.

Chiarella added three birdies on the back nine, including a crucial birdie on the par-5 17th that got him the clubhouse lead at 13-under par.  He shot a bogey-free 5-under 65 in the final round.

Galletti made par on holes 10 and 11, then knocked in back-to-back birdies on holes 12 and 13 to take the lead at 14-under par.  Playing one group behind, Collins immediately countered with a birdie on the par-4 12thto square things up with Galletti at 14-under par, with just five holes to play. 

“I made the turn at 12-under, so I knew I needed quite a few more birdies, so I had to just play aggressive, no other option really,” Galletti said.  “They moved 12 a tee box up which made it perfect for me to hit this big high slice driver at the green and rolled right by the hole to 20 feet or so for an easy 2-putt birdie. Then I had another nice birdie on 13. So, I was hoping for at least 2 more coming in.”

Galletti couldn’t find another birdie the rest of the way, but made five straight pars down the stretch to finish tied for the lead at 14-under par. 

“I missed an up and down on 17 to make a par, and I honestly thought that had lost me the tournament right there,” he said.  “I ended up getting an incredibly difficult up and down on 18 from the right green side bunker, which at least made up for the hole before, but still didn’t think it was going to be good enough. I shot 14-under the year before and lost by one, so I was just feeling that was going to happen again. But luckily this year it happened to go my way.”

After the birdie on 12, Collins made four straight pars and remained tied with Galletti with two holes to play; but made costly bogeys on the last two holes to drop back to 12-under par, securing the victory for Galletti.

For the week, Galletti carded rounds of 68-62-66 and finished with 20 birdies to earn the win and the $20,000 first place check.  Fryer shot a 2-under 68 to finish T2 with Chiarelli at 13-under, while Euler and Collins finished T-4 at 12-under par. 

“I was very excited to get this win,” Galletti said.  “Coming off a second place the year before, it felt really good to come back and get that redemption. It’s just a really great feeling.”

Galletti, an Arizona State University golf alum and current player on the DP World tour, has a few other notable performances under his belt that last couple of seasons.  He won the Arizona Open at Mesa Country Club in 2022, and he Monday-qualified for the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, where he made the cut and finished T-73.

“The whole WM Phoenix Open experience was unreal,” he said.  “Making it through that qualifier felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders, and I was finally going to have a chance with the big boys. Unfortunately I didn’t have my best stuff that week, but I did make the cut, which with all the craziness that goes on after Monday qualifying, is still a little bit of an accomplishment in itself.”

Rounding out the Top-10 were Luke Kelly (Goodyear), Brad Reaves (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Sand who finished T6 at 11-under; while Joshua Anderson (Goodyear), Grant Booth (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Cohen finished T-9 at 10-under par.  Anderson shot the low round of the day, a bogey-free 7-under 63, to vault into the Top-10.

Andre Metzger, last year’s DFO champion, shot 66-67-69 over the three days to finish T-18 at 8-under par. 

“I’m very happy for Nicolo, he was so close to winning last year, so it’s nice to see him come back and get it done this year against such a competitive field.  He’s a great champion for our tournament,” said Ryan Pray, Desert Financial Open Tournament Director.  “Once again another great week for the Desert Financial Open, thanks to the players for your continued support, of course thanks to Talking Stick Golf Club for being such a great host, and of course a big shout out to Desert Financial and United Rentals for their continued support of this event.”

In eight years, the Desert Financial Credit Union Open Presented by United Rentals is making a name for itself as one of the premier professional golf tournaments in the State of Arizona.  The event features a 54-hole tournament with a field of 156 players, with a cut to the low 50 players and ties after 36 holes.  The tournament has a guaranteed purse of $125,000 – with $20,000 going to the winner. This year’s tournament also raised a total of $7,500 that will be donated to the Desert Financial Foundation. 

The Desert Financial Credit Union Open Presented by United Rentals was created to provide a first-class competitive golf tournament for touring professionals, while also raising money to support Arizona Charities. For more information visit the tournament website atwww.DesertFinancialOpen.com.