Sergio Win Gives Padraig Wild Card Hope

Sergio Garcia produced a brilliant performance to clinch a sixth Ryder Cup cap with victory in the Wyndham Championship.

The Spaniard won in America by two shots after the tournament spilled into a Monday finish because of heavy weekend rain.

He resumed one in front with 14 holes to play, but stood on the 13th tee sharing the lead with American Chad Campbell and South African Tim Clark.

Then came birdies at four of the next five holes and a closing bogey secured the 32 year old his eighth US PGA Tour victory, but first since the 2008 Players Championship.

Ian Poulter had moved into the tenth and last automatic qualifying spot with his joint third place finish at the US PGA Championship, but will now need to be one of Captain José María Olazábal’s two Captains Picks next Monday.

Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts is another candidate for a wild card, even more so after a joint seventh place finish at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro.

Given a special invitation to the event, the 29 year old was another of the 38 players unable to finish on Sunday and instantly made birdies at the 13th and 14th on his return.

They lifted Colsaerts into a tie for third, but after he closed with four pars for a 66 - the same score as Garcia - he slipped back down the leaderboard.

Unlike Garcia and Poulter, who are involved in the start of the FedEx Cup play-offs, Colsaerts still has this week's Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles to come and a tied second place finish with one or two other players there would take him ahead of German Martin Kaymer, the player now in the last automatic spot.

Garcia began his final burst with a superb 136 yard approach to within 18 inches of the flag on the 13th, got up and down from sand at the long 15th, hit his tee shot to two feet on the 166 yard next and then fired in another iron to six feet at the 17th.

A four shot lead came down to one when Clark holed out from just short of the green for birdie on the last and there was still work to be done when Garcia drove into the trees there.

He had to chip out and was still not on the green in three, but got down in two more for an 18 under par total of 262. Clark was second and American Bud Cauley alone in third one further back.

"I am proud of the way I played coming in," Garcia said.

Olazábal now knows nine of his ten automatic qualifiers - Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell, Paul Lawrie, Francesco Molinari, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Garcia and Peter Hanson.

The final spot is between Kaymer - not in the field at Gleneagles - and Colsaerts.

Garcia, who failed to make the 2010 side and acted as one of Colin Montgomerie's assistants, added: "Obviously I won a couple of times last year in Europe, but it's been a while here (in the United States) and it feels great.

"I hit some really good shots and made some nice four or five footers when I had to. I'm very happy about the way the week has gone."

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Rafferty Records First Pro Win

Image: Pat Cashman

It wasn't your typical August weather this week at The Fairway Course of Abilene Country Club during the Adams Tour's Young Life Abilene Open, but the tournament sponsors, tour officials and players weren't complaining.

The usually sinister sun showed mercy throughout the four-day event yielding to a slight breeze, cool temperatures and a lingering cloud cover and the field of professional golfers took full advantage of the conditions.

"Normally going into a tournament the weather is always a primary concern but the soft breeze and mild heat really gave these guys a chance to hit low numbers," said Adams Tour director Tyler Wolford.

At the end, it was a player who hails from across the Atlantic who found himself alone atop the final leader board. Fergal Rafferty, a 25-year-old Irishman playing in the second to last group Saturday, posted a final round 6-under-par 66 to win his first professional tournament by a stroke.

"It's nice to see him get over the line finally," Rafferty's swing coach Gordon Sherry said. "He's been close before and he keeps progressing."

Sherry has coached Rafferty for the past six years, and flew in from just outside of Glasgow, Scotland, to carry Rafferty's bag during the event. The instructor lives overseas and came in from his home country to help his young pupil tune up for the months leading up to PGA Tour Qualifying School.

Sherry wasn't the only one who came a considerable distance and wound up sitting at the winner's table.

Entering the third round six shots off the lead in a tie for 14th, Rafferty surged into contention after firing a 64, recording an eight-birdie, no-bogey tally that put him a shot off the pace heading into Saturday's final round.

"Walking to the first tee (on Saturday) I wasn't too concerned with what the leaders were doing or going to do," Rafferty said. "I knew (shooting) 6- or 7 under would give me a chance to win,"

Rafferty birdied his first hole to draw even with the leaders, eagled the par-5 ninth hole, birdied three more coming in and kept a clean card for a second day in a row, avoiding bogey on the weekend. His closing 66 propelled him to the trophy and a $10,850 check.

"It feels great," Rafferty said. "It's a good time to start playing good, my confidence is getting better and its just a good time of the year to start coming into form".

He said after Saturday's tournament win that he's glad he stayed in the United States after finishing school.

"It turned out to be a good decision and I'm proud of myself that I stuck around after college and I'm looking forward to the future and just very happy to be playing here,"

Rafferty was not the only one pleased that he was a part of the competition.

"I never thought a West Texas boy would be handing the inaugural trophy to an Irishman," said tournament sponsor and Young Life director Chuck Rodgers. "It's great to have him out here; he hits it further than you can point."

Rafferty graduated from Sam Houston with a kiniseology degree, and maintains he's used his acquired biomechanics knowledge to help his game.

"My degree is very helpful with my golf," Rafferty said. "I apply a lot of the physical therapy tactics and sport nutrition information to my workouts and fitness and it really has me getting better in a lot of ways."

Rafferty said he will play two more Adams Tour events and a handful of Monday qualifiers for the Web.com Tour (formerly the Nationwide Tour), before competing in the PGA Tour's Qualifying School.

Michael Arnaud of Baton Rouge, La., and Kevin Tway of Edmond Okla., finished in a tie for second (271). Both players will take home $5,255. Former Abilene High golfer Bill Allcorn closed with a 4 under 68 to finish alone in 20th, (280). His payout was just over $1,000.

The Young Life Abilene Open is contracted with the Adams Tour into 2013 and returns professional golf to the Big Country next fall for a second consecutive year. Tour administration and Abilene Country Club have not set an official date for next season's event.

Courtesy: Abilene Reporter