ATHENS, Ga. ' Robert Damron made a 14-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff Sunday with Englands Greg Owen to win the Athens Regional Foundation Classic, his first victory since the PGA TOUR’s Byron Nelson Classic.
After birdieing the final two holes of regulation to force the extra session, Owen came up short on a 12-foot birdie putt to give Damron the title in the Nationwide Tour event.
It sounds bad to say that I hit it terribly, but I really did, said Damron, who earned $94,500 to move to No. 7 on the money list.
I flirted with trouble all week long but I came out smelling like a rose. A hot putter makes up for a lot of mistakes. I cant count the number of putts I made over 20 feet this week, maybe five or six. I made tons from 10 to 20 feet.
Damron shot a 66-under 66 to match Owen (71) at 11-under 277. Casey Wittenberg (67) was a stroke back, and Roger Tambellini (67) and Vance Veazey (68) at 9 under.
Much of the attention was on 22-year-old rookie Brendon Todd, a four-time All-American at Georgia who had the second-round lead and shared the 54-hole lead with Owen at 10 under par. But Todd closed with an 8-over 80 to tie for 25th.
That left the stage to Damron, who charged through the pack, reeling off five birdies in a six-hole stretch to make the turn at 10 under.
I didnt think Id have much of a chance to win today, said Damron, who started the day five shots off the pace. I thought Id get 2 or 3 under, make a nice check and go about my business. I just hit that stretch that gets momentum going. When I made the turn I figured I had a good chance.
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