Late Birdies Propel
Williams On Nationwide Tour
LEON, MEXICO | Being the only player to score
four rounds of 70 or better at the Mexico Open
was good enough to give Lee Williams his first
Nationwide Tour victory.
Williams, the 54-hole leader, had a bogey
early Sunday but used three birdies on the back
nine for a one-stroke win ahead of Paul Haley II.
For the 30-year-old from Alexander City,
Ala., the 70 was his worst round of the weekend
but it closed out a 14-under-par 274 total at El
Bosque Golf Club.
The victory made Williams the 10th straight
player this season to win for his first Nationwide Tour title.
In 2012, only season-opening winner Skip
Kendall had a Nationwide victory on his résumé
before earning his championship.
Lee Williams at the 2007 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic
Williams, a former Auburn University
player, posted scores for the weekend were
69, 67, 68, 70.
The back-nine charge for Williams echoed
the way he had moved into the lead a day earlier.
The two-time Walker Cup player was tied for
second as he began Saturday, but he used birdies on Nos. 10, 11, 12 and 13 to surge to the top
of the leaderboard.
On Sunday the birdies came on Nos. 11, 12
and 15.
They allowed him to hold off Haley, the winner at this season’s Chile Classic in March, who
had six birdies on his Sunday scorecard offset by
a damaging double-bogey 7 on the eighth hole.
With his $112,500 winner’s check, Williams
moved to $158,875 on the season, good for the
No. 5 spot on the Nationwide’s money list.
He edged into his new spot, jumping past
last week’s winner James Hahn who did not
play and stayed at $158,395.
Also making a move big Sunday was Haley,
who with his solo-second finish jumped from
fourth place to the top spot on The 25.
The $67,500 payday lifted him to $229,834
on the year, allowing him to edge past Luke List
($223,848), who did not compete.
At the end of the season, the top 25 money-earners qualify for a PGA Tour card in 2013.
The Nationwide Tour takes a break this week
because of the U.S. Open, but returns June 21-24
for the Wichita Open at Crestview CC in Kansas.
