Sports

Winfield Native Kevin Streelman Wins First PGA Championship in Tampa Bay

Pro golfer and Wheaton-Warrenville South alum Kevin Streelman wins his first PGA championship, $990,000 and qualifies for next month's Masters for the second time.

Winfield native Kevin Streelman won his first PGA Tour victory in 153 starts at the Tampa Bay Championship on Sunday by two shots over veteral Boo Weekley, ESPN reports.

Streelman finished four-under-par with a 67 on the last day for a weekend total of 274—10 under par—qualifying him for the illustrious Masters next month at Augusta National for the second time in his career.

It was a massive comeback for the 34-year-old, who was +2 after day one, eight shots back, and even par at the cut, but who finished his final two rounds without a single bogey and with ten birdies. His scores on the par-71 Copperhead course at Innisbrook (famed for its difficult "Snake Pit" 16th, 17th and 18th) were 73-69-65-67.

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The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Streelman took the lead for good at the par-3 13th after hitting a 5-iron to six feet for birdie, which put him ahead of then-challenger Justin Leonard.

"Probably the best shot of my life in that situation," Streelman told the paper. "It's just how I envisioned it, and I pulled it off."

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Some particularly unique praise came from Yahoo! golf blogger Brian Murphy as well.

"His golf was so sturdy, so much a mental triumph, he should consider removing the 'r' from his last name: Kevin Steel Man," Murphy wrote in a post all about Streelman's win.

"How easy is it to like Streelman? He worked as a caddie at prestigious Whisper Rock G.C. in Arizona a decade ago. Today, he's a member. That's your garden variety American Dream, amigos."

Streelman won nearly a million bucks ($990,000) for his performance, bringing him to No. 11 on the PGA Tour money list for 2013 with $1,248,343, SB Nation reports.

A 1997 graduate of Wheaton Warrenville South High School and 2001 graduate of Duke University, Streelman turned pro in 2001. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2007, after finishing 14th in the PGA Tour qualifying tournament, according to his website. He now lives in Scottsdale, AZ with his wife. 


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