James Drew wins Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open
James Drew won his first PGA Utah Section title with a nerve-jangling victory over Dusty Fielding at the Siegfried & Jensen Utah Open on Sunday, August 26, 2012.
As the late afternoon shadows lengthened on the Oakridge Country Club, Drew sealed the victory with a 19-under par tournament score.
Fielding posted a 17-under par score and secured the second spot on the leaderboard. Tony Finau, Luke Swilor, J.B. Sneve and Zach Johnson posted a 15-under par each to secure the shared third place.
Drew got off to a confident start and carded a birdie on the very first hole that he played. Through 12 holes, he was six-under for the round, after recording another three birdies and an amazing eagle.
The highlight of his performance included a run of three straight birdies on the final three holes in regulation. That was the turning point of the day, as he moved quickly from the second place to the top of the leaderboard.
According to Drew, pocketing $20,000 as prize money meant everything to him, as he desperately needed some money in order to participate in the upcoming events.
"I was trying to figure out how I was going to tell my sponsor while I was driving home tonight that I was probably going to pack it up for the year," said the Las Vegas resident, wiping away tears. "So now I don’t have to".
Meanwhile, Fielding seemed really disappointed with his back-nine performance, as his financial conditions were no different than that of Drew’s.
His plan for visiting the PGA Tour’s Q-School is now in jeopardy, as he is not in a position to bare the expenses that can amount to at least $5500.
"It devastated me financial-wise," a disappointed Fielding said. "I was just trying to work my way back up. There was a lot of pressure to make money this week".
Like Drew, he also enjoyed a great start on the final day, as he birdied four of the first six holes that he played.
However, his back-nine performance – two bogeys against a lone birdie – dragged him out of the lead, at the end of the tournament.
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