Austin Smotherman wins in Utah for first PGA Tour title

But right when it looked as though the 32-year-old Smotherman would eliminate all drama on a beautiful afternoon in southern Utah, it changed quickly.

His approach to the par-4 13th came up short and plugged near the lip of a bunker. The best Smotherman could manage was to advance it to a flatter lie in the sand, he blasted out to 10 feet from there and missed the putt to make double bogey.

Suddenly, his lead was down to one shot over Trace Crowe, who in the group ahead made a 40-foot eagle putt on the reachable par-4 14th.

Smotherman responded with a tee shot with the perfect line and distance on the 14th, landing short of the green and rolling out to 6 feet. He missed the eagle putt, but restored his lead to two shots. On the next hole, his approach got a good kick and rolled out to 6 feet again.

He missed another short birdie putt, but converted from just inside 12 feet on the 16th, giving him a comfortable lead with two holes to play.

A bogey-birdie finish put him at 26-under 258, easily breaking the 72-hole record at the tournament only in its third year.

“It didn’t have to be pretty,” Smotherman said. “I got some nice bounces. Made some poor swings, but this game doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Along with the two-year exemption, Smotherman moves to No. 51 in the FedEx Fall and is likely to stay among the top 60 to get into a pair of $20 million signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera next year.

Doug Ghim, also seeking his first PGA Tour victory, three-putted from 30 feet on the 13th and missed a 6-foot par putt on the 15th, which hurt his chances. He birdied the final hole for a 69 that allowed him to finish alone in second, moving him from 89th to 58th in the FedEx Cup.

“Today was Austin’s day,” Ghim said. “I did everything that I could, and hopefully I’ll learn from some of the mistakes and be a little bit more comfortable next time. But always grateful.”

Crowe (66) and David Ford (64) tied for third.

Of the top 12 finishers, Kevin Streelman and Steven Fist were the only players who had won on the PGA Tour. Streelman closed with a 67 and tied for fifth with Ben James (67), the top PGA Tour University player who turned pro in June.

A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., finished as the leading Canadian with a 69 on the day to be eight shots back of Smotherman.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., had a 72 and was six shots back of Ewart. Nick Taylor (70) of Abbotsford, B.C., and Adam Svensson (68) of Surrey, B.C., finished seven and eight shots behind Ewart, respectively.

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The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Austin Smotherman wins in Utah for first PGA Tour title

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