Brendon Todd became another first-time winner on the PGA Tour this season at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
He is another of the seemingly endless line of superb golfers from the University of Georgia, where he was a member of the 2005 NCAA Division 1 championship team.
He has found the going more difficult than expected in the professional ranks, however, and has bounced back and forth between the Web.com and PGA Tours since he turned professional in 2007.
Eligible for the Web.com (Nationwide) Tour in 2008, he won the Utah Championship, finished No. 19 on the money list and earned his PGA Tour card for 2009.
Todd missed 16 of 21 cuts in 2009 on the big tour and found himself back on the Web.com Tour in 2010 and 2011. He won medalist honors at the 2011 PGA Tour Q-School and rejoined the PGA Tour in 2012.
He missed 18 cuts that year, but finished in the money in 11 events. He collected one top-10 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Todd earned $474,000 for the year and ended the year at No.146 on the FedEx Cup points list.
Back on the Web.com Tour in 2013, he won the Stadion Classic at UGA and finished 20th on the Web.com Tour money list, earning a third trip to the PGA Tour.
Evidently the third try is the charm for Todd and he has not wasted his opportunity this time around.
In 17 starts in the 2013-2014 season, he has only missed three cuts. The win at the HP Byron Nelson gives him his third top-10 finish and he has earned just over $2 million.
His final round on Sunday was not lacking excitement. He holed out from a bunker and was forced to play a shot left-handed, when he was stymied against a tree on the par-4 No. 13.
Todd led the field in scrambling for the week and commented after his round,
“I have a great short game and even I’ll say it was special this week.”
Another big storyline for the week was the resurgence of former Masters winner, Mike Weir.
Weir’s last win came in the 2007 Fry’s Electronics Open. He has struggled with injury and was using up his eligibility status on tour.
His runner-up finish moves him up 100 spots in the FedEx Cup standings to No. 87 and should help him retain his playing privileges for next year.
Charles Howell III and Aussie Marc Leishman finished tied for third at 10-under-par.