D. A. Points birdies first extra hole for his fourth tour win
MIAMI, Fla. – In one of the most exciting finishes on the Nationwide Tour, D. A. Points slammed-dunked a wedge from 125-yards for eagle at the 72nd hole of the Miccosukee Championship then waited to see if Matt Bettencourt could hole a 15-foot putt to join him in a playoff. Bettencourt’s putt found the bottom of the cup to tie at 12-under 272 and the pair returned to the 18th hole for sudden-death.It was like déjà vu for Points (67), who almost drove it in his same divot from 10 minutes earlier, then flew a wedge to four feet. When Bettencourt (67) missed for birdie from 14-feet, Points rolled in the four-footer to earn his fourth Nationwide Tour victory.
Bryce Molder (67), Josh Broadaway (68) and Gavin Coles (68) finished tied for third at 10-under 274.
Matt Hansen (67), who had just 48 putts on the weekend, tied for sixth with Scott Gardiner (69) at 8-under 276.
Steve Wheatcroft (65), Chris Nallen (67) and Brendon Todd (67) finished 7-under 277.
“I haven’t holed a shot from the fairway since Athens, Georgia,” said an excited Points, referring to The Athens Regional Foundation Classic in April. “It was the perfect number for me but when it was in the air you never really knew if it was going to be good or not. When the cheering got louder I didn’t know whether to cry or jump up and down. I was excited, but Matt still had an opportunity to tie me. He made a great putt.”
Bettencourt, from Greenville, SC, moved from 22nd to 12th on the money list and is now certain to graduate to the Tour next year.
“Nobody’s ever been happier to finish second,” said last month’s winner of the Oregon Classic. “I reached my lifelong goal of making the PGA Tour. The guy played great. He deserves to win. When you hole out from the fairway - that’s just fantastic. It’s his hole. He owns it.”
Points, a Pekin, IL native who resides in Orlando, jumped 25 spots, from 40th to 15th with the $112,500 winners check, bumping David Branshaw from 25th to 27th. He had plenty of reasons to be happy.
“My parents and my wife are here and it is the first time I’ve won in front of them,” said an emotional Points. “And I’m heading back to the PGA Tour.”
Wheatcroft, a 30-year-old Jacksonville, FL resident who had 99 putts this week, crept into No. 99 on the money list after starting the week at 113th.
“I was trying to figure it out at the start of the week and I thought a top-10 would do it,” said a smiling Wheatcroft. “It’s a big relief. I was on Tour with full status last year. To go from that to nothing was tough. Monday qualifying is such a pain. I drove all night long from Chattanooga to Miami to Monday qualify after 2 hours of sleep. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
Jon Turcott was the only player to drop out of the top-100, from 100 to 101.
Changes to the top-60 on the money list:
David Hearn fell from 60 to 64 after missing the cut and will not advance to the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch. Others to fall out of the top-60 were Henrik Bjornstad (56-61) and Cameron Percy (57-62). Those players jumping into the top-60 include Gavin Coles (68-50), Chad Ginn (62-53) and Chris Nallen (72-59).
Nallen, the first round co-leader, probably made the most spectacular move. He birdied his last two holes, No. 17 with a 55-foot putt, and 18 with a 15-footer.
“Yesterday was a bit of a hiccup – no pun intended,” said Nallen, who was stricken with the condition during the first round. I knew we had to finish in the top-10. It’s definitely a big-time relief.”
Final Round News & Notes: Jeremy Anderson withdrew before the final round with neck spasms…Preferred lies were in effect during the final round…Brendon Todd (67), Michael Boyd (69) and Bubba Dickerson (63) all had bogey-free rounds…Scoring average for the second round was 69.769, the first time below 70 in Tournament history, while the scoring average for the week was 71.793....The Nationwide Tour now has a week off before heading to Dallas, Texas for the season finale, the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch. With a $1 million purse, and only the top-60 players in the field, expect some movement on the money list with every player having the opportunity to finish in THE 25 and graduate to the PGA Tour.
Return to Other Tours archives