Fuente: © PGA (Professional Golfers' Association)
http://www.pga.info/

GOLF: PGA: Kraft captures Puerto Rico Open

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Greg Kraft shot a two-under-par 70 on Sunday and held off Bo Van Pelt down the stretch for a one-shot victory on Sunday at the Puerto Rico Open.

Kraft, whose previous win came at the Deposit Guarantee Classic in Mississippi in 1993, finished at 14-under 274 to claim the $630,000 US dollars first prize at this inaugural event. The win 15 years ago came in an unofficial event played opposite the Masters. Most of the game's top players were missing this time too, with the WGC-CA Championship being held at Doral, but that did not make the win mean any less to Kraft.

"You never knew if it was going to come, Kraft said of victory. "I wish I could describe how I feel but I can't."

Kraft birdied the fifth, 12th and 17th holes before finishing his round with bogey on the par-five 18th.

"I hit it really good this week and kept the ball in play off the tee," Kraft said. "I was really comfortable on this golf course for whatever reason. I hit the ball solid and the long holes didn't bother me and on the short holes I was aggressive."

Van Pelt entered Sunday's final round atop the leaderboard by a stroke after shooting a one-under 71 in the third round at Trump International Golf Club.

But after an eagle on number five, he posted consecutive bogeys on numbers eight and nine. After the turn, he was even-par with two birdies and two bogeys.

That dropped Van Pelt into a tie for second with Jerry Kelly, who matched Kraft with a 70 on Sunday.

Kevin Stadler and Briny Baird finished in a tie for fourth at 276. Tim Wilkinson, Marco Dawson and Tommy Armour were sixth.

This event was the first full-field sanctioned PGA Tour tournament ever held in Puerto Rico. notas_de_prensa_archivo