Won Joon records best Nationwide finish
IN: News | Nationwide | Utah Championship (2008) | Round Four | by Bruce Young | 08 Sep 2008
Nationwide Tour rookie, Brendon Todd, has won his first Nationwide Tour event and all but assured himself of PGA Tour status in 2009 with a convincing six shot victory at the Utah Championship.
Starting the final day with a narrow one shot lead over Australian, Marc Leishman, Todd produced a rock solid final round where he missed only two greens and didn’t drop a shot is his four birdie round of 67.
Three birdies in his final six holes saw the 23-year-old draw clear of a group of six players, who tied for second. Todd earned a cheque for US$99,000 which takes him within just four or five thousand dollars of guaranteeing himself a place in the top 25 of the Nationwide Tour money list. He only needs to make one or two cuts to be one of those granted PGA cards following the Tour Championship in early November.
Sydney golfer, Won Joon Lee, made the biggest forward move on day four when he improved from 25th to share second with a final round of 64. Lee birdied six of his last nine holes to record his best finish on the Nationwide Tour and continue a good run of form in recent weeks. With now US$83,000 in earnings this season he might have left his run a little late, but with six events remaining there is still a chance he can stake a late claim for PGA Tour status in 2009.
Leishman, for whom the day had promised so much, struggled to build any momentum early in his round and any chance he had of winning the event was effectively gone when he double bogeyed the 12th hole. He recovered with a birdie at the 13th and finished in a six way tie for second.
Scott Gardiner finished 8th, Steve Allan 28th, Jarrod Lyle 33rd, Kim Felton 47th and Paul Gow 58th.
The Nationwide Tour now move to Boise in Idaho for this week’s Albertsons Boise Open.
