MURRIETA — Joey Vrzich needed a place to scratch the competitive itch during a one-month break in the PGA Tour Americas schedule.

Vrzich will resume play there next week as the 125th California State Open champion after shooting rounds of 71, 68, 68, and 70 (11 under par) at Bear Creek Golf Club and defeating Canyon Lake’s Chad Hambright on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff on Thursday.

It is the second playoff in five years after Matt Wilson prevailed in a seven-hole playoff in 2021.

“It definitely feels good to come out on the right side of a playoff and go back to PGA Tour Americas on some good form,” said Vrzich, the La Jolla native who helped Pepperdine win the NCAA Division I national championship in 2021.

“Knowing I can win without my best stuff on the greens is a good feeling but I know I’m going to have to putt better than I did today to give myself opportunities to win out there.”

Vrzich started his final round tied with David Kim at 9 under par and grabbed the lead with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2 and 3, but Vrzich bogeyed both front-nine par 3s before the sparks flew to end their outward nine.

Both Vrzhich and Kim made eagles at the 538-yard par-five ninth hole. Vrzich did so by holing a greenside bunker shot to get back to 11 under par. He’d finish his final round with nine straight pars to match Hambright’s score through 72 holes.

Hambright, playing two groups ahead of the overnight co-leaders, went out with a bogey-free 34 and was four shots back to start his final nine. The 11th through 14th featured three of the course’s five easiest holes, and that’s where the former Temescal Canyon High and Riverside City College standout made his move. Hambright made one of three final-round eagles on the par-5 11th hole and added back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 to finish off a bogey-free 66.

Isaac Rodea got back to 11 under par with a birdie at No. 17 but couldn’t get up and down at No. 18 and came up a shot short of a playoff along with Kim, who closed a final round 70 with a birdie at No. 18.

Riverside’s Kevin An, a graduate of King High and incoming senior at Oral Roberts, earned $1,000 for winning low amateur honors with a final round 67 and four-day total of 7-under par. He defeated Cal State San Bernardino’s John Kim and California Baptist University’s Jared Abercrombie by four shots in that race.

Other area amateurs making the cut were UC Riverside’s Shaojun Luo, Colton’s Xzavier Casarez, and La Verne’s Jay Wing.

On No. 18 to begin the playoff, Hambright two-putted from 30 feet for par while Vrzich got up and down for par to extend it. At No. 17, Hambright was in perfect position off the tee but made a bogey. Vrzich, from the left trees, hit a beautiful punch shot that nearly reached the green, and saved his par for the win.

“I actually didn’t think 11-under was going to be good enough and that I’d be regretting some of the other missed birdie chances that I left on the table,” Vrzich said.

Other local pros who made the cut included Temecula’s John Chin (T5, -9). Murrieta’s Harrison Kingsley (T11, -5), Upland’s Rovanta Young (T16, -4), and Murrieta’s Ryan Kolk (T39, +1).

Corona’s Connor Nolan and Temecula’s Jose Pelayo led after rounds one and two, respectively, but finished tied for 40th at 2 over par.