American journeyman Hudson Swafford birdied three of the last four holes to clinch his first PGA Tour title by one shot at the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, California.
Hudson Swafford. Photo: Photosport
Two strokes off the pace going into the final round on the hosting Stadium Course, Swafford fired a sparkling five-under-par 67 in overcast conditions to hold off a late challenge by third-round leader Adam Hadwin of Canada.
New Zealanders Tim Wilkinson and Steven Alker finsihed in a tie for 25th.
Wilkinson's three-under par final round 69 lifted him to 10 under for the tournament while Alker ended with a 71.
Form second equal after day two, Rotorua's Danny Lee finished with a 73 to tie for 41st.
Swafford, who also produced good form last week to tie for 13th at the Sony Open in Hawaii, picked up shots at the 15th, 16th and 17th to move a stroke clear of a congested leaderboard before parring the last to post a 20-under 268.
"I felt like my posture was good all day and it just allowed the club to be in a perfect slot," Swafford, 29, told Golf Channel after narrowly missing a birdie attempt from 20 feet at the par-four 18th.
"That's all we focused on this week. I had really good rhythm, was standing tall and was hitting it beautifully."
Hadwin, seeking his first PGA Tour victory after taking over at the top with a sizzling 59 in the third round, birdied 16 and 17 on the way to a 70 and second place on his own at 19 under.
Left-hander Brian Harman and fellow American Bud Cauley closed with 69s to tie for third at 18 under while five-time major winner Phil Mickelson finished joint 21st at 11-under after shooting a 70.
Geoff Ogilvy was the best-placed Australian after closing with a two over to finish at 10 under in a tie for 25th.
- Reuters
