Percy goes close in Panama
BY Bruce Young | Web.com Tour | 2012 Panama Claro Open | Wrap | 05 Mar 2012
American Edward Loar held on to win his first Nationwide Tour event in the most dramatic of circumstances when he recovered from a horror start to his final round at the Panama Claro Championship to win by one shot over a group of four players including Australia’s Cameron Percy.
Loar went into the final day with a four shot lead but by the 7th hole he had dropped four shots and was fighting off challenges from all directions.
When Loar bogeyed the 13th hole he had fallen back to 3 under and soon after was headed by Luke List who birdied the 14th hole to move ahead of a group of four players at 3 under.
List, though, would double bogey the 15th and when Loar found the inner fortitude to turn things around with a birdie at the 16th he was back in front and stayed there.
Percy, Ryan Armour, Luke List and Brian Smock would all share second position, one behind Loar.
Loar is a former winner on the Asian Tour but has played the Nationwide Tour since 2006 and is this year a PGA Tour member. Unable to get a start at the Honda Classic, Loar played this event to keep the momentum going after a slow start to his PGA Tour season.
On a tough and demanding layout and in difficult conditions the tournament developed into a case of the winner being the ‘last man standing’ and it would be Loar who held on.
Percy produced one of the best final rounds of the day (67) to grab a share of the lead before Loar’s late birdie. The finish is crucial to Percy who is playing without full exemption on the Nationwide Tour this season.
Peter Lonard followed up his solid week in Colombia with a 7th place finish this week. Lonard bogeyed his final three holes on Saturday, which, on reflection, has proved costly but it was an encouraging week for the 44 year old who will now play the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.
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