Bolli Wins Web.com Tour Championship
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McKinney, Texas – Justin Bolli caught third-round co-leaders Justin Hicks and James Hahn and survived the charge of a pair of young guns in Morgan Hoffmann and Adam Hadwin to win the biggest title of his career, the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch near Dallas. In the process, he secured his PGA TOUR card for 2013.
Bolli, a former University of Georgia golfer who resides in Simpsonville, S.C., collected the Web.com Tour’s biggest first prize of the year, $180,000 from the $1 million purse.
In addition to crowning the winner of the season’s richest event, 25 PGA TOUR cards for 2013 were awarded at the completion of play. In a dramatic finale, a James Hahn birdie on the 72nd hole allowed Jim Herman to secure the 25th and final card at the expense of Hadwin.
Three players who began the week outside the top 25 on the money list left the Dallas area with
a PGA TOUR card in hand – Bolli (44th to 9th), Hoffmann (31st to 19th) and Doug LaBelle II (26th to 24th). The week’s casualties were Camilo Benedetti (25th to 26th), Hudson Swafford (23rd to 27th) and Joseph Bramlett (24th to 28th).
The 36-year-old Bolli began Sunday’s round two shots out of the lead. Playing with Hicks and Hahn, he fired a four under-par 32 on the front nine to catch Hicks at 14-under at the turn. A steady back nine 33 by Bolli was aided by Hicks’ triple-bogey on the par-4, 14th hole, leading to a two-shot victory.
Hahn fell two back after posting a 35 on the front nine. A timely birdie on the par-5, 18th hole pushed the California into sole possession of second place. Hicks’ incoming 37 crushed his hopes for his first win of 2012 and a much higher finish on the money list. He wound up in fifth place and 11th in earnings, where he began the week.
“I didn’t have high expectations coming into this week because the last several weeks I really hadn’t played very well,” Bolli said. “It was one of those weeks where everything started to click and everything just went my way.
The victory was the fourth on the Web.com Tour for Bolli, who had previous stints on the PGA TOUR in 2005, 2008 and 2010.
“It’s super competitive out here, so you’ve got to show up and play great every week and keep the pedal to the metal,” Bolli added.
In spite of his back nine letdown, Hicks returns to the PGA TOUR for the second time with a great deal of confidence. “I’m really excited about the PGA TOUR next year and in years beyond because I think I’ve made somewhat of a turn on things and I’m showing that I’m more of a consistently good player,” he said. “I’m definitely excited about the years to come.”
Two of the most impressive performances of the day came from Hoffmann, 23, and Hadwin, 25. They shot 64 and 65, respectively, to finish tied for third. The one shot separation in their rounds was the difference between Hoffmann earning his card and Hadwin coming up short.
Hoffmann, who rooms with PGA TOUR members Rickie Fowler and Cameron Tringale in Jupiter, Fla., was the No. 1 amateur in the world in 2010. He starred with Fowler at Oklahoma State University. A native of Saskatchewan who now lives in the Vancouver area, Hadwin is one of Canada’s most promising young players.
