Maverick McNealy earned his first win on the PGA Tour when he finished with a final-round 68, one shot ahead of a trio of players at the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
The 29-year-old sank a 5ft 5in putt on the 18th hole to finish 16 under at 266, ahead of Luke Clanton (66), Nico Echavarria (65) and Daniel Berger (67).
The victory came in his 134th start as a pro and sends him to Maui to start the year at The Sentry and The Masters for the first time in April.
“Honestly, my mind went blank,” McNeely said. “It was an incredible adrenaline rush out there, especially on the 18th.
“It was a moment I’ll never forget when I was able to celebrate with my friends, my family, my wife, my team.
“Mom and dad are watching at home, everyone is excited, it was my first phone call, Maya (his wife) knew her job, if it was good, she would call them as soon as possible, walking; off 18. I’m the luckiest guy ever.”
Berger missed a 20-foot birdie attempt on the 18th alongside Echavarria and Clanton, who both missed par putts to within eight feet on the final hole to set up a four-way tie.
Clanton was a long way from joining Nick Dunlap as amateur winners on the PGA Tour this year. He holed his approach to the 18th, blasted well to seven feet and crouched in disbelief when he missed his first shot and had to settle for a 66. with
“It’s going to be hard to take, for sure, coming off the last one,” Clanton said. “But I think it’s proven to me that I can win here, so I’m going to train for it.”
McNealy drives from the second tee during the final round of the RSM Classic
Henrik Norlander, No. 126 in the FedExCup last year, went 63-68 on the weekend and joined Berger as two players to move into the top 125 at the expense of Zach Blair and Wesley Bryan, who both missed out, and Joel : Dahmen’s 64th shutout saw him finish 124th.
JT Poston posted a seven-under 63 for the day, joining Lee Hodges (67) and Canadian Mackenzie Hughes (68) in a tie for fifth at 14-under 268.
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Vince Whaley, who shared the lead with McNeely entering the final round, finished joint eighth after shooting a 71 on Sunday.
Michael Thorbjornsen (69) and Patrick Fishburne (69) also tied for eighth at 13-under 269.
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