Casey

Wittenberg

Wittenberg finished the week at 24-under-par 66-66-63-65=260 for his first Nationwide Tour victory. He was tied for third with 83.3 percent GIR and converted with 22 birdies and two eagles. Just as impressive, he navigated the week with only two bogies and played his final 48 holes without a blemish on the card. He jumps to fourth on the Nationwide Tour money list where the top 25 at the end of the season will be awarded a PGA TOUR card for the 2013 season.

Wittenberg made bogeys on each of his first two holes before buckling down and playing the remaining 16 holes in bogey-free 2-under. He finishes the week at 5-over 285. By virtue of his top-10 finish, he is exempt into the 2013 U.S. Open as are Webb Simpson (winner), Michael Thompson (T2), Jim Furyk (T2), Graeme McDowell (T2), David Toms (T5), Padraig Harrington (T5), John Peterson (T5), Jason Dufner (T5), Ernie Els (9th), Retief Goosen (T10), John Senden (T10), Kevin Chappell (T10) and Lee Westwood (T10).

A week after finishing in a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open and sharing a final-round tee time with Tiger Woods, Wittenberg entered the finale two strokes behind Jim Herman. He would birdie his first two holes before giving one back at the sixth. He would then catch fire on the back, making birdies on the 11th, 13th, 14th and 16th holes before parring in to post 18-under 63-70-67-66=266. He finished two strokes clear of Justin Hicks and overnight leader Jim Herman. Should he claim a third win in 2012, he would immediately be promoted to the PGA TOUR rather than having to wait until 2013. He is now a virtual lock to be a 2013 PGA TOUR member.

Wittenberg circled three birdies, an eagle on the par-4 seventh, and swallowed two bogeys in a round where he split seven (of 14) fairways and landed 11 GIR. For the week, he’s hit 30 (of 54) GIR and averaged 29.67 putts per round. Making his fifth U.S. Open appearance, he will try and best his T36 at the 2004 edition at Shinnecock on Sunday.

He hit 12 greens in regulation today and needed a couple of pick-me-ups to keep the pedal down. After negotiating a birdie from 38'2" at the par-3 17th to get back to even on the day, he birdied 18 and 1 to go 2-under through 10 holes. A zero-putt eight-yarder for par from the fringe at 5 was nifty. Wittenberg then holed a seven-yarder from the fringe for birdie at 7 before closing out with another clutch par save, this time from 17'4" at 9.

Wittenberg is lucky to be in the field. He’s 160th in FedExCup points but earned the exemption when he finished atop the 2012 Web.com Tour money list. Today at TPC Sawgrass, he hit 14 greens in regulation and swallowed just one bogey, a 5 at the closing 18th hole. Prior to that, he rolled in six birdies, the most notable a beauty from 33-and-a-half feet at the par-4 fourth hole. He also poured in a par save from 20'3" at 9. Wittenberg signed his card sitting four strokes off the early clubhouse lead.

Wittenberg moves to 127th in the FedExCup standings with his performance this week, which is his first top 10 of the 2013 season. With momentum on his side, he heads to Texas for the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

Wittenberg trails his third-round playing partner and leader David Lingmerth by a shot at 10-under 206. Wittenberg’s round was a meager 1-over through 15 holes, with one birdie and two bogeys on the card before he came to the par-5 16th. A 6'8" birdie at 16 was followed by a 4'7" effort on the par-3 17th, then he capped off his round early Sunday morning with a 39'5" bomb on the difficult 18th. That proved to be a two-shot swing on the leaderboard and leaves him with a chance to claim his first PGA TOUR win at TPC Sawgrass Sunday afternoon.

Wittenberg was granted one of the remaining five sponsor exemptions into the field of 120. The 2012 Web.com Tour money leader sits a disappointing 137th in FedExCup points this season due to missing 10 of 16 cuts. He’ll be making his first start at Muirfield Village.

The 2012 Web.com Tour money leader toured Torrey Pines South on Thursday, converting three birdies and 15 pars. He absorbed his first bogey of the week at the par-4 11th hole on the North today, but answered with six birdies against no more bogeys. The 28-year-old concluded his round with three straight birdies to shoot up the leaderboard.