Final-round notebook – Valero Texas Open
* Zach Johnson’s win today was his fourth career title and third come-from-behind victory* Mark Wilson’s T2 finish this week is his best of the year and also his highest finish since he won The Honda Classic last year – a span of 46 starts. Wilson fired a final-round 63 to get to 17-under 263. Wilson tied for third here in 2005.
* New Zealand rookie Tim Wilkinson had his finest week of this, his rookie season. Wilkinson had weekend rounds of 63-64 and tied for second. Wilkinson entered the week No. 112 on the money list, making 13 of 25 cuts with a pair of top-10 finishes – T6 at the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular and 3rd at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He earned $336,000 and vaulted up to No. 84 on the money list.
* At one point Sunday there was a seven-way tie for the lead at 13-under par. Stephen Ames was the leader in the clubhouse, having posted a 62. Zach Johnson had just parred the fifth hole. Minutes later, Johnson rolled in a birdie putt of 9’ 7” at the par-3, 6th hole and the field started to string out after that.
* Two of the past three winners of this event have won in their first start at La Cantera – Zach Johnson this year and Eric Axley in 2006. Before Axley, the last time a player won in his first start at the Valero Texas Open was Ben Crenshaw, 35 years ago.
* Charlie Wi shot a career-low 61 and finished at 17-under-par 263. Wi’s total of 263 betters his career-low score of 269 (-15) at the 2008 John Deere Classic. His 17-under score also matches his career-best, which came when he finished 17-under (271) at the 2005 Southern Farm Bureau Classic.
* Chris Stroud enjoyed his best week of the year, finishing T6. Stroud’s previous best in 2008 was a T12 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun. This is Stroud’s third career top-10 and two of the three have come in this event. In a rare coincidence, Stroud was 13-under and T6 last year, and was 13-under and T6 this year too.
* Robert Gamez played as a single on Sunday. The 2005 Valero Texas Open champion shot a 3-under-par 67 and completed his round in 2:13.
* Steve Elkington fired a career-low 61 on Sunday to finish at 8-under 272. Elkington, who had only nine birdies during his first 54 holes, rolled in 10 birdies during the final round. The 45-year old Australian bettered his previous career-low of 63, which he had posted three times previously, most recently at the 1991 Southwestern Bell Colonial. The former University of Houston Cougar canned putts totaling 155’ 3”, including birdie putts of 31’ 5” at No. 16 and 42’ 5” at No. 17. Those were the only two putts he made all week over 20 feet.
* Steve Elkington and Charlie Wi each posted 9-under par 61s today, tying the lowest 18-hole score on the PGA TOUR this year – Mike Weir, Deutsche Bank Championship; Roland Thatcher, Mayakoba Golf Classic; Carl Pettersson, Wyndham Championship.
* Steve Elkington closed his 61 today with a 7-under 28 on the back nine. That score also ties the lowest 9-hole score on the PGA TOUR this year: Briny Baird, Wyndham Championship; Jim Furyk, BMW Championship.
* Bob Sowards also posted a 7-under 28 on the final nine today. The 40-year old Ohio native closed his round eagle/birdie/birdie to polish off his 63. Sowards had three birdies to open the back nine, then added three consecutive pars before closing with a flourish.
* TOUR rookie Bob Sowards shot a 7-under 63 to move up the leaderboard and finish T19. The 63 is also a career-low for Sowards, who entered the week No. 188 on the money list after making only seven cuts in 17 starts. His only top-10 this year is a T9 at the Wyndham Championship.
* Chris DiMarco (T19) equaled his season-low score with a 64 today. DiMarco also posted a 6-under 64 in the third round of the Travelers Championship. The former Florida Gator has not had a top-10 finish this year, with his best showing coming at the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational, where he tied for 12th. DiMarco had made only 10 cuts in 25 starts in 2008 and began the week No. 153 on the money list.
* Stephen Ames posted a season-low 62 today, one shy of his career-best (61 – 2000 Doral-Ryder Open).
* Ames wound up T6, his best finish in this tournament. His previous best in this event was a T8 in 1999, when he opened with a 64. This was Ames’ seventh top-10 finish this year. He was T5 in his last start, the BMW Championship.
* Pat Perez tied for 8th this week, his 25th career top-10 finish. Perez has now posted back-to-back top-10 finishes for only the second time in his career. He finished T10 at last week’s Turning Stone Resort Championship. The only other time that Perez had consecutive top-10s came in 2002 when he tied for 7th at the Tampa Bay Classic and then tied for 5th at the Valero Texas Open.
* Jeff Maggert shot a final-round 68 and tied for 15th place at 10-under 270. Since winning the 2006 FedEx St. Jude Classic (63 starts), Maggert’s only top-10 has been a T5 at the 2007 U.S. Bank Championship.
* Dustin Johnson, winner of last week’s Turning Stone Resort Championship, finished T15 this week, his sixth top-25 of his rookie season.
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