Maverick McNeely won his first PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic on St. Simons Island, Georgia, with a final-round 68 to beat three competitors by one stroke.
The 29-year-old sank a 5-foot, 5-inch putt on the 18th hole to finish with a 16-under 266, just ahead of Luke Clanton (66), Nico Echavarria (65) and Daniel Berger (67). did.
The win came in his 134th start as a professional, and will allow him to start the year at Sentry on Maui and play in his first Masters in April.
Berger missed a 20-foot birdie on the 18th, and Echavarria and Clanton also missed par putts from inside 8 feet on the final hole in a four-way tie.
Clanton was one shot away from joining Nick Dunlap as this year’s PGA Tour amateur winners. He pulled his approach to the 18th into a bunker and launched it well to 7 feet, but cringed in disbelief when he missed the par putt and had to settle for a 66.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough match to win after that last bogey,” Clanton said. “But I think I’ve proven that I can win here, so I’m going to train for that.”
Henrik Norlander, who was 126th in last year’s FedEx Cup, had a 63-68 weekend and, along with Berger, are the only two players in the top 125.
JT Poston finished the day’s round with a 7-under 63 to tie for fifth place with a 14-under 268, along with Lee Hodges (67) and Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes (68).
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Vince Whaley, who was tied for the lead with McNealy going into the final round, shot a 71 on Sunday and finished tied for eighth.
Michael Thorbjornsen (69) and Patrick Fishburne (69) also tied for eighth with 13-under 269.
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