Charley Hoffman, a PGA Tour journeyman, made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Valero Texas Open on Sunday for his fourth PGA victory on tour. Hoffman, age 39, closed with a 3-under 69 at TPC San Antonio for a one-stroke victory over Patrick Reed. Hoffman finished at 12-under 276 and earned $1,116,000. ''This was my hardest one,'' Hoffman said after a vigorous fist-pump
and drill-team leg kick when the winning putt fell at 18. ''Grabbing
that lead and holding on to it - it's tough to keep the pedal down and
give yourself birdie opportunities and win golf tournaments.'' Playing alongside Hoffman, Reed also birdied the par-5 18th for a 69.
He missed birdie putts inside 8 feet on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th. ''Today I was missing a lot of short putts, so I'm shocked I even had a chance,'' Reed said. Reed, who was born in San Antonio, put the pressure on Hoffman with a
tap-in birdie at the 18th after reaching the fringe on the 595-yard
hole in two. His shot to the green came from the left-hand rough, and
had to clear an oak tree and creek in front of the green. Hoffman followed by hitting his third shot from a greenside bunker to set up his birdie. This win bodes well for Hoffman on three fronts - The Players championship in May, the FedEx Cup race and his candidacy for the Ryder Cup team. Which of these three goals are within Hoffman's reach? Send your predictions to the Pro Golf Tour:
http://progolftournaments.blogspot.com/
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