Why Wichita Open golf winners leave their mark (literally) at Crestview
After hoisting the propeller trophy and downing a glass of champagne, Myles Creighton was told there was one final tradition he needed to honor as the champion of the Wichita Open.
More than an hour after the 29-year-old Canadian drained his winning putt on the 18th hole, he was ushered into the men’s locker room at Crestview Country Club to take part in perhaps the most unique victory ritual on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Creighton was handed a Sharpie and crouched down to sign the inside of the locker belonging to Scott White, a club member since 2005. For the past 14 years, White — who has also served as the tournament’s starter for two decades — has collected the signature of every Wichita Open champion.
“It’s really cool because you see these guys when they’re out here, and then they go on to the next level,” White said. “Like Aaron Wise signed my locker, and now he’s on the PGA Tour. So it’s pretty darn cool.”
The tradition began in 2012, when Casey Wittenberg — a player White had previously caddied for — won the Wichita Open. White thought it would be neat if Wittenberg came back and signed his locker.
“It’s one of those things where, since I start them all off the first hole, I get to know them a little,” White explained. “After that, I started having them sign my locker, and it’s just grown over the years.”
Creighton was amused by the request, then found himself in awe as he studied the names of past champions, including Wise, the 2018 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, and Harry Hall, the 2021 winner now ranked inside the world’s top 75.
The locker is White’s personal space, though it stays mostly empty aside from some spare clothes, a pair of shoes, and — most importantly — 10 decks of cards for his ever-popular Gin games at the club. More than half of the 6-foot-tall locker is now covered with champion signatures, and Creighton had to crouch to add his name just below last year’s winner, Taylor Dickson.
“Try not to make it as big as Ollie Schniederjans did,” White joked, pointing to the largest signature on the locker.
Creighton hopes his memorable week in Wichita — which included a hole-in-one, a record-breaking 59, and a Sunday eagle — will springboard him to become the next name from that locker list to make waves at golf’s highest level.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 6:02 AM.
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