Wesley Bryan fired a final-round, 3-under-par 68 to come from one stroke back to win the 25th annual Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER, the largest victory of his professional career.
Bryan elevated himself to the top of a crowded leaderboard when he drained a 15-foot putt for birdie on the par-4 17th hole.
“Coming into the season, I felt like I was really in good form,” said Bryan, after he collected a first-prize check worth $99,000. “I felt like I was playing really well. I felt really good coming down here.”
Bryan two-putted the par-4 finishing hole from 30 feet to post 14-under-par 270. The win comes in the third start of his rookie campaign on the Web.com Tour. The 25-year-old Augusta, Georgia resident moves from No. 25 to No. 3 on the money list, one step closer to earning his PGA TOUR card.
“My wife and I have been praying for a win for a long time on any level and for the top 25 on the money list every night before we go to bed,” he said. “This makes it a lot easier. The ultimate goal is the PGA TOUR.”
Bryan’s Sunday stroll around Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club was not an easy one. The former South Carolina Gamecock recorded two bogeys on his opening nine and had trouble getting settled over a few shots due to the blustery conditions.
“It took me a while to pull the trigger there,” said Bryan about his birdie putt on the 12th hole. “On a day like today you have to stay super patient. You know it’s going to gust and you have to be disciplined enough to back off.”
In the opening tournament of the season, Bryan played alongside Ryan Armour in the final round and watched him win the Panama Claro Championship in come-from-behind fashion. The Tour rookie learned quick what it takes to hoist a trophy on Sunday afternoon.
“I knew it would be a close one coming down the stretch,” said Bryan, who at one point was in a five-way tie for first at 13-under. “I just knew I had to stay in the process and make sure I was doing all I could do to keep the situation out of my mind.”
Julian Etulain (70) was the only one who had a legitimate chance to challenge Bryan down the stretch. The former Order of Merit winner on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica missed a 30-foot birdie bid on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Bryan.
“I worked hard to try and win,” said Etulain. “It’s a good start and good to get momentum for the rest of the year.”
Rounding out the top five in a tie for third were Jonathan Byrd (66), Martin Flores (70), Ryan Brehm (71) and former Order of Merit winner on Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Joel Dahmen (71).
Sunday Notes:
* Sunday weather: Mostly sunny, High: 60, Low: 47, Winds: N 10-20 mph with gusts of 20-30.
* This week’s purse is $550,000 with $99,000 going to the winner.
* Bryan’s win comes at age 25 years, 11 months and 23 days.
* Bryan moves from No. 25 to No. 3 on the Tour money list.
* Bryan becomes the second come-from-behind winner this season on Tour (Ryan Armour – Panama Claro Championship).
* Bryan picked up his first victory in his 3rd start on Tour.
* Bryan becomes the second rookie to win on Tour this season (Sebastian Munoz – Club Colombia Championship).
* Down the stretch Bryan went par-birdie-par to close out the tournament.
* Bryan becomes the third first-time winner on Tour this season (Ryan Armour – Panama Claro Championship, Sebastian Munoz – Club Colombia Championship).
* Bryan becomes the 16th player to earn their first career win in the tournament’s 25-year history.
* This week marked the first time Bryan has played a tournament in the state of Louisiana.
* Bryan is the second player in his 20s to win in 2016 – Sebastian Munoz.About Wesley Bryan
FULL NAME: Donald Wesley Bryan
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5-11/175
BIRTHDATE: March 26, 1990
BIRTHPLACE: Columbia, South Carolina
RESIDENCE: Augusta, Georgia
FAMILY: Wife, Elizabeth
EDUCATION: University of South Carolina (2012, Retail)
TURNED PROFESSIONAL: 2012
JOINED TOUR: 2016More quotes from Wesley Bryan after the win.
“I won a mini-tour event in Columbia. S.C., where I grew up, last summer. Never played in state of Louisiana, but we’ve traveled everywhere that there’s Bermuda grass we’ve played. I like being here on this type of grass.”
“I hit it in some awful spots on the back nine and was able to salvage pars out of them, brushed in a 3-4 footer on 18 to give me a little breathing room, went over to the range for about 30 minutes and I was about 55 times more nervous over there than I was on the golf course at any point, and now I’m here with a trophy and a check, so it’s great.”
“We’re going to Dallas to film a pretty sweet trick-shot video. We’re driving, we’re road warriors. Back in the States, I’m going to drive everywhere I can.”
Talking about the par-save on 14 – “It was more than well over the green, about 40 yards over the green back behind a tree I didn’t even know was there, got it up and made that one, that was probably the turning point on the back nine for me.”
“I was playing for par, I looked at the board after 17 and saw that I had the one-shot lead, and with the wind direction today I knew it was going to be tough to birdie either 17 or 18 today, and I played those holes in 1-under. I just wanted a 20-footer, if I made it great, but honestly I was playing for par.”
“I’m a leaderboard watcher, I like to know what I have to do, it doesn’t really change my strategy except for the last hole or two, up to that point you’re just trying to hit every shot the best you can.”
“I saw a five-way tie and I knew it would be a close one coming down the stretch, I just knew I had to stay in the process and make sure I was doing all I could do to keep the situation out of my mind and keep the next shot on my mind.”
* Sebastian Munoz finished T7 and remains No. 1 on the Tour money list ($140,889).
* Scoring Averages for the week:
Front (36) Back (35) Total (71)
R1 34.207 35.260 69.467
R2 34.994 35.059 70.053
R3 35.908 35.401 71.309
R4 35.107 35.678 70.785
CUM 34.874 35.261 70.135
