Turnesa proves good to last shot

It was supposed to be a cavalry charge to the finish Sunday at TPC Summerlin. Instead, Marc Turnesa managed to stay in front of the pack, and he was the one standing with the Waterford crystal championship trophy in the end.

The 30-year-old PGA Tour rookie had a week to remember, leading all four rounds of the $4.1 million Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and winning by one stroke over Matt Kuchar with a 25-under-par 263.

It was a nice reversal of fortune for Turnesa, who was in a similar spot last month at the Viking Classic in Mississippi only to lose in a playoff after leading for all three rounds.

"It means a lot to win, especially after coming up short a few weeks ago," said Turnesa, who earned $738,000 for his first PGA Tour victory after posting a final-round score of 4-under 68.

"I thought it might take a little lower to win this thing. The greens on the back side were a lot firmer than on the front and the wind started picking up on the back, and we hadn't had to deal with that all week.

"So yeah, I was a little surprised there weren't more guys there at the end."

Turnesa, who comes from a legendary golfing family (his grandfather was a six-time winner on the tour and his great uncle won the 1952 PGA Championship), carried on what has become a Las Vegas tradition. He became the fifth consecutive winner to gain his first PGA Tour victory here, and eighth overall.

"To be honest, I've been worried about my security out here," said Turnesa, who moved up to 75th on the PGA Tour's money list with $1,318,052 after beginning the week at No. 138, and received full exempt status on the tour through 2010.

"I don't know if it will change who I am at all, but I know I'll be on the PGA Tour the next two years. It's a little bit of a cushion because it's something I've never had before."

Turnesa kept his mistakes to a minimum throughout the tournament. On Sunday, he played the front side to 1 under and he was 4 under on the back, building a two-shot cushion that would turn out to be critical.

He came within 10 inches of acing the par-3 14th and settled for birdie. He played the four par-5s to 2 under and when he found trouble at the end, with his second shot into the bunker bordering the 18th green, he got out to within 27 feet and two-putted for bogey, using that insurance to keep Kuchar at arm's length.

"At the time, I didn't think it was a big shot," Turnesa said of his birdie at No. 14. "But looking back, yeah, every birdie was big. I only won by one stroke.

"I was probably a little too cautious at 18. But I knew I had a little room to work with, and once I hit out of the bunker, I knew I could get home (in two)."

Kuchar played solid golf throughout as well. He had spent most of the week at or near the top with Turnesa and had little to complain about after Sunday's final-round 67.

"To shoot 5 under with all the pressure is pretty good," he said. "I thought it would take something like 25 to win this and Marc played well all week. He earned it. I just wish I had that drive back on 18 from Saturday."

Kuchar wound up making a double bogey on the par-4 18th at the end of his third round and the gaffe ultimately cost him.

For a good portion of Sunday, John Mallinger was leading the tournament while Turnesa was waiting to start his round. Then disaster struck at the par-5 16th. Mallinger was 220 yards from the pin when he put his second shot into the water bordering the green. He took a stroke penalty and eventually bogeyed the hole to drop two shots back.

He never recovered and finished in a three-way tie for third with Chad Campbell and Mike Allen at 266.

Campbell was right there as well, pulling within one shot of the lead after making a birdie on the par-3 No. 17 following his tee shot, which landed just 4 feet from the cup.

But he quickly fell out of it when he put his approach shot into the bunker at the par-4 18th and was unable to get up-and-down. Campbell finished with a bogey and out of contention as he completed his final round at 5-under 67.

Ryan Moore also made a late run to pull within two shots of the lead. But he had an ignominious finish as he twice hit his tee shot at No. 18 into the hazard along the left side and ultimately wound up taking a 9 for the hole. In a matter of minutes, Moore went from a fourth-place tie to a tie for 24th.

"I thought I hit what was a perfect tee shot, but it didn't move for me and it ended up in the hazard," Moore said of his 72nd-hole collapse that resulted in a 1-over 73 final round. "The second one I didn't hit it very well and it ended up in the hazard, too. I had to keep going back."

Turnesa had no such problems. He managed his game well, handled the pressure of being the hunted and was rewarded for his effort with the biggest payday of his life.

"I was supposed to fly to Phoenix tonight," he said Sunday afternoon of his original intention to play at this week's Frys.com Open in Scottsdale. "But I think I'll stay over and have a little celebration with my buddies and fly (home) to West Palm (Beach, Fla.)."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.