Rod Perry wins Professional National Championship
SUNRIVER, Ore. — Rod Perry spent most of his career trying to carve a niche in professional golf among his peers. Spending just four days in the rarefied air of Central Oregon, Perry proved that he belonged.The 39-year-old PGA head professional at Crane Lakes Golf and Country Club in Port Orange, Fla., turned in a near-flawless 3-under-par 69 Wednesday afternoon at Crosswater Club, punctuating his performance by making a downhill 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th hole. It was the lift he needed for a three-stroke victory in the 46th PGA Professional National Championship.
Presented the 2012 PGA Professional Player of the Year award on Friday, Perry finished with a 72-hole total of 10-under-par 277, which was worth a check of $75,000 in the showcase event for PGA Professionals and the right to hoist the crystal Walter Hagen Cup. He is the first left-hander and the fourth North Florida PGA Section member to win the National Championship.
The 46th PGA Professional National Championship is presented by Club Car, Mercedes-Benz and OMEGA.
Ryan Polzin of Houston, Texas, who came within a stroke of the lead before a wayward drive on 18 landed in a hazard, finished second at 280, after closing with 71. Jeff Sorenson of Blaine, Minn., was another stroke back at 282.
“This is by far the biggest win of my career; it’s huge,” said Perry. “Winning that PGA Player of the Year Award in 2012 made me think for a second, hey, maybe I am one of the better players in The PGA, and maybe I can compete on a consistent basis. Finishing second last year (in the Championship) at Bayonet Blackhorse, I know I didn’t play my best.
“I felt if I could play a bit better, maybe I would have a chance. Thankfully, not one of our great players get hot like Matt Dobyns did last year. It left the gates open and I was able to come through.”
JC Anderson of St. Louis; three-time National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill.; 2007 Champion Chip Sullivan of Troutville, Va.; and Mark Sheftic of Blue Bell, Pa., tied for fourth at 283. Sheftic and Sullivan, who shared the 54-hole lead, faded after the front nine and each posted a 76.
Tim Fleming of Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club shot 7-over to finish tied for 53rd.
Small, the men’s golf coach at the University of Illinois, sprinted out with four front-nine birdies to climb within a stroke of the lead, but saw his chances end when he missed the fairway on the ninth hole, which led to a bogey. He later bogeyed the 14th hole and fell out of contention. He closed with a double bogey at 18 for a 72.
Perry elevated his game at the right moment on the challenging 7,489-yard Crosswater Club, which is a longer than any major championship layout this year. “The greens were relatively soft and you knew you had to play well," said Perry.
“You are always traversing the Deschutes River. Trouble is lurking at all times. You have to put the tee ball in play, shaping the shots consistently and eliminating that big mistake.”
Perry sprinted to the lead with birdies at the second and sixth holes, catching Polzin, and added a birdie at the par-4 10th to give him a one-stroke margin. Polzin, the PGA head professional at Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston, stumbled with bogeys at 11 and 13, before staging a late rally that caught Perry’s attention.
“I looked at the scoreboard after I bogeyed 15, which is something that I normally don’t do,” said Perry. “I saw Polzin birdied 16 and when I got to the green at 16, I saw him make a fist pump after a great birdie at 17. So, I stepped over my putt at 16 and knew that I had to make it.”
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