LOS ANGELES, CA - We already had one first-time gold medalist on Championship Sunday when Brooke Buckner won the women’s singles title to start the day, but we now have two after the men’s singles final.

Connor Garnett took down Federico Staksrud 7-11, 11-9, 11-4 to claim his first gold medal on the PPA Tour.

The highly entertaining encounter featured several extended rallies with incredible athleticism from both players, but the difference in the key moments was Garnett’s ability to take backhands out of the air when attacking to take time away from his opponent.

Staksrud had overcome sizable deficits the past two times he had clashed with Garnett, but a comeback wasn’t in the cards for the Argentine on Sunday.

“In Minnesota I had a lead and Fed came roaring back, so I never felt safe until I converted a match point in this one,” Garnett shared. “Words can’t really describe how I’m feeling—I’m just super stoked to get a gold."

In the bronze medal match, Roscoe Bellamy took out Aanik Lohani in three games to earn his first PPA medal.