Unheralded American Alex Prugh secured a breakthrough tournament victory when he stormed home to win the US$600,000 New Zealand Open at The Hills course near Queenstown yesterday.
Prugh, in only his second year on the nationwide tour, shot a final-round eight-under 64 on the par 72 course to finish on 19-under 269, three shots clear of overnight leader Martin Piller.
Jim Herman, who like Piller shot a final round 68, jumped from seventh to finish third on 274, completing a USs top three.
Six golfers were tied for fourth, two shots adrift of Herman, Andrew Bonhomme, Stephen Dartnall, Peter Senior and Craig Parry, all from Australia, American Jeff Gove and New Zealander Josh Geary.
Aside from Prugh’s winning charge, the individual highlight was a rare albatross by Welshman Richard Johnson on the par-four 15th hole.
Johnson, who finished 10th on 277, said the shot compensated for some woeful putting through the week, he said.
“I’d have missed it if it had stopped two feet short,” he joked. “I just putted like a complete idiot.”
■CA CHAMPIONSHIP
AP, MIAMI
Americans Phil Mickelson and Nick Watney share the same instructor and they also shared the lead after the third round at the CA Championship on Saturday.
Mickelson and Watney, coached by Butch Harmon, traded the lead back and forth before ending the day locked at 16-under-par 200 in a testing breeze at Doral Resort’s Blue Monster.
Of the two, Watney was most satisfied after a five-under 67, while Mickelson thought he could have gone a bit lower than 69.
They headed Indian Jeev Milkha Singh (68) and Colombian Camilo Villegas (69) by four strokes with a single round left in the US$8.5 million World Golf Championships event.
Tiger Woods improved to equal 19th with a tidy 68, but was nonetheless out of contention, nine strokes behind.
■PUERTO RICO OPEN
AFP, RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO
Australian Jason Day clung to a share of the lead on Saturday after the third round of the US$3.5 million US PGA Puerto Rico Open despite a hard charge from co-leader Michael Bradley.
Bradley birdied four of his first six holes on his way to a four-under 68 that left him level with Day at 12-under 204 through 54 holes and each of them four strokes ahead of any other rival.
Eight others were sharing third on 208 trying to fight their way into contention for a US$630,000 top prize, including Aussie Greg Chalmers and US players Jay Williamson, Brett Quigley, Omar Uresti, Kent Jones, Cliff Kresge, Bart Bryant and Bryce Molder.
Aussie Aron Price was alone on 209 after a third-round 68.
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