Flavin hangs on to win Bakersfield Open; Runner-up Warian shoots 61

Patrick Flavin turns 29 on Sunday, but he secured a great early birthday present for himself Friday. He was grinning and holding a big promotional $30,000 check after winning the $150,000 Asher Tour Bakersfield Open golf tournament at Bakersfield Country Club.

Flavin, who entered the final round of the 54-hole major tied with Sam Sommerhauser and three shots clear of the rest of the field, wound up winning by one shot.

He sank a 6-foot putt for par on the 18th hole to clinch the victory. Flavin shot a 3-under-par 68 to finish at 13-under for the tournament.

And he needed to make that last putt. He put his second shot in the rough behind the 18th green. A solid chip got him close enough to close out the victory.

But even as consistent as his tournament was with rounds of 67, 65 and 68 and this week’s inclement weather adding another layer of mental difficulty, Flavin’s win was almost upstaged by the tournament runner-up.

Four-year University of Minnesota golfer Ben Warian, 22, fired a 10-under 61 with 11 birdies to make a last-day run. He shot 72 the first day and was at 3-under when he began his round Friday. Starting on No. 10, he birdied his first three holes but bogeyed the par-4 14th.

He responded to the bogey by stringing together six birdies. He shot 29 on the back nine and then birdied No.’s 1 and 2. He parred three holes and then birdied twice before settling for a 32 on the front nine.

Due to the tournament field going to tee times after two days of shotgun starts, Warian finished early and waited to see if his 12-under total would hold up. He was among the spectators at No. 18 when Flavin made his two shots. He earned $14,000 for his effort.

Flavin said he was focused on his own round, but decided to check the leaderboard. He had just birdied 16 when he saw Warian’s accomplishment.

“Eleven birdies? That’s outrageous,” Flavin said.

It did sharpen his focus on the last two holes.

“The pins on 17 and 18 were tucked in the corner so I felt it was important to know if I should go at the pin or to the center of the pin,” Flavin said. “That birdie at 16 was huge to give me a one-shot cushion.”

Flavin and Warian found their way to the top of the leaderboard despite the inclement weather. Both are now Arizona-based residents — Flavin in Scottsdale and Warian in Tucson — but the Midwest natives were unfazed by the rain and wind. Flavin is from Highwood, Ill.

“The course was in great shape, even better than last year,” Flavin said. “Despite the rain and wind, I thought the course held up awesome.”

Eight of the top 10 players were non-California natives.

Bakersfield Country Club assistant pro Jared Kinoshita, who played at Stockdale and at NCAA Division II Hawaii-Hilo, was the top local finisher. He was part of a group that finished tied for seventh at 7-under. He shot 70, 68 and 68.

He fared best among other top locals in the field.

Manav Shah, who played at Centennial High and won the Open in 2021, shot 69 on Friday after rounds of 67 and 71. He and defending Open champion Devon Bling of Ridgecrest, whose first-round 63 gave him the lead Wednesday, shot two rounds of 72. Both finished in a big group at 6 under.

Another former Open winner as recent as 2023, former Bakersfield High standout Bahvik Patel, finished at 5 under with rounds of 66, 73 and 69.