KENDALL (47) WINS US NATONWIDE TOUR OPENER IN COLOMBIA
FROM THE US NATIONWIDE TOUR WEBSITE
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Skip Kendall rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship, the first tournament on the 2012 Nationwide Tour schedule. Kendall needed only an even-par 71 at the Country Club of Bogota to claim his third career title.
Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim finished joint 13th on 280 (70-65-74-71).
Kendall finished at 10-under 274 but had to wait to see if fellow third-round co-leader, and playing partner, Andrew Svoboda would make his 20-foot birdie putt that would have forced a playoff. Svoboda's putt came up inches short putting Kendall back in the winner's circle for the first time since the 2007 Chitimacha Louisiana Open.
"It was one of those putts that you could get a good line on and I had a really good feeling over it," said Kendall, who picked up a check for $108,000. "Fortunately I hit a good putt and to see it tracking towards the middle of the hole was pretty special. In a way, I'm glad I went first and made the putt."
At 47 years, 5 months and 10 days Kendall also becomes the fourth-oldest to win in Nationwide Tour history.
Svoboda held the lead during much of the final round after a birdie at No. 5 but couldn't muster any more and played the final nine holes 2 over. His 1-over 72 left him at 9-under 275 and tied with Andres Gonzales, who shot a 3-under 68 and was done at 9-under and hoping for a playoff.
James Hahn (70) and 49-year old Kirk Triplett (72) tied for fourth, two shots back of Kendall.
Svoboda and Kendall began the final in a share of the lead with Triplett only one back. Kendall was forced to chase the lead after starting his day with back-to-back bogeys.
"I was thinking about that when I was out there. In a way, it relaxed me because I figured I got my bogeys out of the way," he said. "I thought, let's just move on and try to hit solid shots. I knew Andrew was ahead of me all day at 11-under so I figured if I could hang on to his coattails and try to catch him that I'd be in pretty good shape."
Kendall, a veteran of 591 combined starts on the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour, hung tough and canned a couple of birdies to take sole possession of the lead midway through the back nine.
"I was watching the leaderboards on the back nine and it was good to see that no one was going real low and I wouldn't have to play catch up," he said. "It was tough to get at some of the pins today. I played very solid all day. I think I only missed two greens."
Kendall stumbled with a bogey at No. 16 to drop into a tie. He and Svoboda came to the 570-yard, 18th still tied for the lead.
"I knew Andres was in at 9-under and I knew I needed something," he said after the threesome all laid up short of the water that guards the front of the green. "I was a little disappointed that my wedge came up that much short."
Fourth-Round Notes:
• Sunday's weather: Partly to mostly cloudy with light afternoon rain showers. Wind W-NW 5-10 mph. High of 66.
• With his win today, Kendall becomes the fourth-oldest winner in Nationwide Tour history:
Oldest winners
Player Age Event
Kirk Triplett 49 years, 4 months, 29 days 2011 News Sentinel Open
Steve Pate 48 years, 9 months, 11 days 2010 Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open
Dick Mast 48 years, 6 months, 17 days 1999 New Mexico Classic
Skip Kendall 47 years, 5 months, 10 days 2012 Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship
Allen Doyle 47 years, 3 months, 26 days 1995 Tour Championship
Allen Doyle 47 years, 1 month, 1 day 1995 Texarkana Open
• With his win today, Kendall also becomes the third consecutive player in his 40s to win this tournament:
2010 Steve Pate -- 48 years, 9 months, 11 days
2011 Brenden Pappas -- 40 years, 9 monhts, 29 days
2012 Skip Kendall -- 47 years, 5 months, 10 days
• Skip Kendall's win comes in his 179th career start on the Nationwide Tour. He first joined the Tour in 1991.
• Andrew Svoboda's T2 finish his career best. Svoboda, in his third full season on Tour, had five previous top-10 finishes. His previous best were a trio of seventh-place finishes -- 2010 Knoxville News Sentinel Open (T7), 2010 Utah Championship (T7) and 2011 Midwest Classic (7).
• Lift, clean and place conditions were in effect for rounds one and two but NOT for round three or round four.
TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
CLICK HERE
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Skip Kendall rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship, the first tournament on the 2012 Nationwide Tour schedule. Kendall needed only an even-par 71 at the Country Club of Bogota to claim his third career title.
Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim finished joint 13th on 280 (70-65-74-71).
Kendall finished at 10-under 274 but had to wait to see if fellow third-round co-leader, and playing partner, Andrew Svoboda would make his 20-foot birdie putt that would have forced a playoff. Svoboda's putt came up inches short putting Kendall back in the winner's circle for the first time since the 2007 Chitimacha Louisiana Open.
"It was one of those putts that you could get a good line on and I had a really good feeling over it," said Kendall, who picked up a check for $108,000. "Fortunately I hit a good putt and to see it tracking towards the middle of the hole was pretty special. In a way, I'm glad I went first and made the putt."
At 47 years, 5 months and 10 days Kendall also becomes the fourth-oldest to win in Nationwide Tour history.
Svoboda held the lead during much of the final round after a birdie at No. 5 but couldn't muster any more and played the final nine holes 2 over. His 1-over 72 left him at 9-under 275 and tied with Andres Gonzales, who shot a 3-under 68 and was done at 9-under and hoping for a playoff.
James Hahn (70) and 49-year old Kirk Triplett (72) tied for fourth, two shots back of Kendall.
Svoboda and Kendall began the final in a share of the lead with Triplett only one back. Kendall was forced to chase the lead after starting his day with back-to-back bogeys.
"I was thinking about that when I was out there. In a way, it relaxed me because I figured I got my bogeys out of the way," he said. "I thought, let's just move on and try to hit solid shots. I knew Andrew was ahead of me all day at 11-under so I figured if I could hang on to his coattails and try to catch him that I'd be in pretty good shape."
Kendall, a veteran of 591 combined starts on the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour, hung tough and canned a couple of birdies to take sole possession of the lead midway through the back nine.
"I was watching the leaderboards on the back nine and it was good to see that no one was going real low and I wouldn't have to play catch up," he said. "It was tough to get at some of the pins today. I played very solid all day. I think I only missed two greens."
Kendall stumbled with a bogey at No. 16 to drop into a tie. He and Svoboda came to the 570-yard, 18th still tied for the lead.
"I knew Andres was in at 9-under and I knew I needed something," he said after the threesome all laid up short of the water that guards the front of the green. "I was a little disappointed that my wedge came up that much short."
Fourth-Round Notes:
• Sunday's weather: Partly to mostly cloudy with light afternoon rain showers. Wind W-NW 5-10 mph. High of 66.
• With his win today, Kendall becomes the fourth-oldest winner in Nationwide Tour history:
Oldest winners
Player Age Event
Kirk Triplett 49 years, 4 months, 29 days 2011 News Sentinel Open
Steve Pate 48 years, 9 months, 11 days 2010 Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open
Dick Mast 48 years, 6 months, 17 days 1999 New Mexico Classic
Skip Kendall 47 years, 5 months, 10 days 2012 Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship
Allen Doyle 47 years, 3 months, 26 days 1995 Tour Championship
Allen Doyle 47 years, 1 month, 1 day 1995 Texarkana Open
• With his win today, Kendall also becomes the third consecutive player in his 40s to win this tournament:
2010 Steve Pate -- 48 years, 9 months, 11 days
2011 Brenden Pappas -- 40 years, 9 monhts, 29 days
2012 Skip Kendall -- 47 years, 5 months, 10 days
• Skip Kendall's win comes in his 179th career start on the Nationwide Tour. He first joined the Tour in 1991.
• Andrew Svoboda's T2 finish his career best. Svoboda, in his third full season on Tour, had five previous top-10 finishes. His previous best were a trio of seventh-place finishes -- 2010 Knoxville News Sentinel Open (T7), 2010 Utah Championship (T7) and 2011 Midwest Classic (7).
• Lift, clean and place conditions were in effect for rounds one and two but NOT for round three or round four.
TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
CLICK HERE
Labels: NATIONWIDE TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Monday, February 20, 2012
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