Golf insider: Quick win surprises Tech's Haley
Paul Haley II became the latest Georgia Tech player to win an event on the Nationwide Tour, joining Stewart Cink and Troy Matteson. Haley won the Chile Classic by three strokes to claim his first victory in only his third start.
“I expected to come out here and play well, but nobody expects to win in their third professional start,” Haley said. “This is awesome.”
Haley shot 64s in the second and third rounds and finished with a 71, which left him three shots better than Joseph Bramlett. Sea Island’s Paul Claxton finished third, and Macon’s Russell Henley tied for 17th. Haley jumped to No. 2 on the Nationwide money list.
Haley had a quietly successful career at Tech. After failing to make the travel team in 2008-09, he became one of the more consistent players in the ACC. Haley finished in the top 10 at the ACC and NCAA championships as a junior and won the ACC as a senior.
On the Tours
- Bubba Watson wasn't able to close the deal Sunday at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, but his season has been otherwise remarkable. The Georgia graduate has yet to finish outside the top 20 in six events. Watson is now 1-for-6 when holding the lead entering the final round. His lone victory was at the 2011 Zurich Classic when he beat Webb Simpson in a playoff.
- Augusta's Scott Brown tied for fifth at the Puerto Rico Open, and Swainsboro's Blake Adams tied for ninth in the opposite field event. It was the first time that Brown has made the cut in seven events.
Lucas Glover returns to the PGA Tour this week at the Transitions Championship in Tampa. The 2009 U.S. Open champion has not played this season because of a paddleboarding accident suffered on the eve of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. The Clemson graduate and part-time St. Simons resident sprained a ligament in his right knee and has been sidelined since.
Veteran Scott Verplank also will make his first start of the season. Verplank, who made a run at the PGA Championship last summer at the Atlanta Athletic Club, had surgery on his left wrist after withdrawing from the Deutsche Bank Championship last fall.
Also making his PGA Tour debut is 21-year-old Tom Lewis of England, who was the first-round leader of the British Open last year as an amateur. Since becoming a professional, Lewis has won the Portugal Masters and been named rookie of the year on the European Tour.
- Sergio Garcia had a 12 on Sunday at the par-3 third hole at Doral. It was the highest score of his career, but he otherwise played well enough to shoot a 76. Garcia actually had a great putting week; tying for sixth in putts per round and finishing sixth in strokes gained putting. Paul Casey made a hole-in-one in the final round and finished tied for 51st in his return to the PGA Tour.
Etc.
Volunteers are being sought for the Nationwide Tour’s Stadion Classic at UGA. More than 500 volunteers are needed for the event, April 28-May 6 at the University of Georgia Golf Course. Volunteers pay a $45 fee, but receive a package that includes clothing, tickets, food and free golf that’s valued at more than $250. Information is available at stadionclassic.uga.edu. ... T.J. Cone of Lawrenceville, Matthew Scheck of Alpharetta, Gene Siller of Cumming and Christopher Wright of Acworth were among the 55 graduates of the PGA Professional Golf Management Program through the PGA Education Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
