BRIDGEPORT, W.V. -- D.A. Points carded a 2-under 70 in the final round Sunday to cruise to five-shot win at the inaugural Pete Dye West Virginia Classic. Points completed the event at 23-under-par 265.
‘I got a little in my own way,’ said Points, who earned $108,000 for the win. ‘I proved I have a lot of heart by not folding when I was faced with adversity on the front nine.’
Nick Cassini closed with a 4-under 68 to take second place at 18-under-par 270. Darron Stiles, who at one point was within two strokes of Points, ended one stroke further back at minus-17. Jess Daley and Vance Veazey shared fourth place at 15-under-par 273.
Points opened the round with a comfortable six-stroke cushion, thanks in large part to his 10-under 62 in the second round at Pete Dye Golf Club. He began his final round with a bogey at the second, but fought back to birdie the third.
Points, who won the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic earlier this year, calmly parred the next three holes before dropping another stroke at the par-3 seventh.
The 27-year-old parred three straight holes around the turn to remain at minus-20. Points birdied the par-5 11th for the third time in four rounds.
Points put the tournament out of reach with a birdie at the par-3 13th and another at the 17th. He parred the final hole for his third career Nationwide Tour crown.
‘After I birdied the 13th, I felt a little relief there,’ Points said. ‘It was hard not to watch the leaderboard today. I got on myself and made some good swings on the back nine.’
Points has now earned $290,896 this season, including $259,200 in his last four starts to take over the top spot on the Nationwide Tour money list. His season total also surpasses his total ($290,320) from his first three years on the Nationwide Tour.
‘Friday night I had trouble sleeping because I was so excited because I felt I was going to win this week,’ Points said. ‘I had to slap myself back into reality. For me to make three bogeys for the week, I had to chip and putt well.’
Cassini birdied the first, but stumbled to a bogey at No. 5. He faltered to a double-bogey at the next, but came back with birdies at eight and nine to make the turn at minus-14. The 25-year-old collected four birdies on the back nine to take second place.
‘What can you do when a guy decides to shoot 23-under par on this golf course,’ Cassini wondered. ‘That is pretty tough to beat. You’re not usually seven shots back and in the last group. I was just trying to make as many birdies as possible as fast as possible.’
Stiles drained four birdies over his first 11 holes to climb to minus-18 and within two strokes of Points. However, he stumbled to a bogey at the 12th. He came back with a birdie at the 15th, but another bogey at 16 dropped him to third place.
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