PGA Tour Rookie Derek Ernst takes home the Wells Fargo Championship title
Derek Ernst, a PGA Tour rookie this season, parred the first extra hole in the playoffs of the Wells Fargo Championship, to record the first PGA Tour victory of his career, on Sunday, May 5, 2013.
The tournament was being staged at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, featuring some of the best PGA Tour players from different parts of the world, vying for a share of the US$ 6.7 million prize fund.
It appears as if only one phone call completely changed Ernst’s life, as he was called by the tournament officials before the start of the event, informing him about his qualification into the tournament as the fourth alternate.
The American carded 67, 71 and 72 in the first three rounds and entered day four with the fourth position in hand.
He then made a slow start in the final round, as he bogeyed the second that he played. The seventh hole witnessed him recording his first birdie of the day, however, he lost another shot on the very next hole that he played.
He then picked up pace on the back nine of the course, birdied the 11th and the 15th hole, and entered the 18th hole trailing David Lynn with one stroke.
The 22-year-old rookie held his nerves and drained a birdie putt to force the game to enter into the sudden-death playoffs, where he managed to confirm his victory in the tournament.
Talking to the reporters after recording his maiden PGA Tour victory, he expressed his pleasure in getting a chance to play in the tournament, and win in the end.
"This feeling is unbelievable right now," said Ernst, who wasn't sure where he was going at the start of the week.
Because of his first victory on the PGA Tour, the American was awarded entries in the PGA Championship, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, two World Golf Championships and the 2014 Masters Tournament.
Lynn, in the meantime, praised the way Ernst played throughout the tournament, especially in the last few moments of the final round.
"He's a nice player. He said he was 180th on the FedExCup list when we were chatting on the way around. He played super. I mean, he could have won it quite easily in regular play. He played the finish really solid, and then he hit two really solid shots
in the playoff. So every credit to him. Well done,” Lynn said.
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