By Staff
BOISE, IDAHO – Chesson Hadley made a late back-nine charge on Sunday with birdies on three of his last four holes and secured his second victory of the season at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco, the second of four Web.com Tour Finals events.
Hadley, a Raleigh native, entered the day five shots back of the lead, but posted the round of the day with a 6-under 65 to edge Ted Potter, Jr. and Jonathan Randolph by one shot each with a 16-under 268 total for his fourth career Web.com Tour victory.
“I know I came out of nowhere,” Hadley said.
“No cameras showed up on me until I was on 16. Obviously, every win is such a great feeling. The course was not playing easy, and I just kind of hung in there. I didn’t think 16-under would have a chance, but I’m certainly not going to give the trophy back.”
The shot of the day that ultimately won him the trophy came at the par-3 17th, when he striped his approach to a couple of feet for his third consecutive birdie.
“I’ve never had a hole-in-one ever,” Hadley continued.
“I stand up on every par-3 and I’m going at it. I’m sending it in there, and I’m trying to make an ace. That thing was drawing in there so pretty. She was beautiful, and it looked like it came close. It was probably a few inches on the other side of the hole. I was really nervous. I didn’t feel like I hit the ball as well as I have, but I just kind of golfed my ball well enough this week. That’s the reason I won, that birdie on 17.”
With his victory and the $180,000 winner’s check, Hadley overtook Brice Garnett for the No. 1 spot on the combined Regular Season and Finals money list with $471,350 in the quest to earn fully-exempt status on the PGA TOUR next season.
After falling short in winning his second career Rex Hospital Open in his hometown back in June, Hadley continued his upward trajectory for the remainder of the season and into the Tour playoffs.
He went on to win the LECOM Health Challenge in July and now with two wins and five top-10 finishes on the season has put himself in a spot where he currently sits atop both money lists with two events remaining.
If he could hold on to either spot in the standings, he’d also earn an exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship in May.
“Well, you know, I proved to myself that I’m good enough to play on TOUR [this season],” Hadley said.
“When you lose your card, you start thinking and you get to some pretty dark places. “It’s so awesome to be going back there. I’m kind of fired up about getting that No. 1 spot. I would think this puts me back at No. 1 or around No. 1, so hopefully I can keep playing well these next two weeks and get that spot.”
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