By Darren Carroll, Getty ImagesBrendan Steele follows an approach shot Sunday in the final round of the Valero Texas Open at AT & T Oaks course at TPC San Antonio on April 17, 2011 in San Antonio.
By Darren Carroll, Getty ImagesBrendan Steele follows an approach shot Sunday in the final round of the Valero Texas Open at AT & T Oaks course at TPC San Antonio on April 17, 2011 in San Antonio.
The leader of a title in the first round, 28-year-old Steele stayed steady throughout the day and finished at 8-under. He gave a slight fist pump, thrust his arm down and smiled wide to celebrate his first tour victory after holing on 18. "I was much more calm today, "said Steele. "When you've got that shot lead that is not even your tournament. There are so many guys who can still win with a good round, without even doing anything wrong, I do not feel so much pressure. "The tournament featured the tour's highest score, average, 73665, so far this year, and Steele's 280 total was the highest winning score in the Texas Open since a 283 won the 1934 Edition.Steele birdied the other par-5 hole, dropping its strategy from a bunker to within 10 feet of the PIN and then bogeyed par-4 No. 5, leaving a 12-foot putt from the short pile. But Steele his tee shot within three feet of the hole on the par-3 No. 7 to move back to 8 under.This is where he left off. Steele, whose previous best finish was tied for 17th at the farmers insurance Open in San Diego in January, could have Padded its lead on No 9 but left a 17-metre putt short. He then missed a couple of other makable birdie putts on the back nine, including one who was 6-inch outside on the par-3-16.Instead, he settled for 12 straight pars and it was enough to wait for Chappell, who had two birdies on the front nine, then put his second shot within 7 feet on the par-4 No. 10 to take a share of the lead.Chappell, 24, then stayed tied with Steele through seven holes, but hit his second shot on the par-4 17th well right of the hole and then failed to make a 10-foot put saving par. "I'll be honest, I think I just fell asleep, "said Chappell, who led UCLA to a national championship in 2008. "I felt the wind was dead to me. .. I should have known there was little left to right. "It was the first time since the 2006 Phoenix Open as two Tour rookies finished 1-2 in a tournament. Another newcomer, Charl Schwartzel (FSY), won last week at the Masters, making this the first time, rookies have won back-to-back on tour since 2002. Winds that were a factor all week, pushing drives into the Woods and knocking down approach shots, continued to blow strong 20 mph Sunday – with gusts exceeding 30 mph. But they came from the South, and generally had higher scores than those from the North earlier in the tournament.Tying Chappell for second was Charley Hoffman (FSY), 34, who began the day three strokes behind Steele at 3-under, but found the hole from the fairway 52 feet away for an eagle on the par-5 No. 8. He followed with a birdie on the 464-yard No. 9 — Kevin Na (FSY) had the worst of the par-4 holes in the PGA Tour record books during Thursday's opening round, shooting one 16th with a nightmarish sequence of shots.Hoffman missed a 10-footer to save par on no. 14, but his birdie at 18, he moved back to 7 under and assured him a tie for second.Nashville-original Brandt Snedeker (FSY), 30, had two birdies on the front nine but missed an 8-foot putt on the par-4 11th to figure 6 in the framework of the tournament, good enough to finish just in front.Cameron Tringale (FSY), who began the day a stroke off the lead, in his second year on tour but is 5 years younger than Steele at 23. He had three bogeys on the back nine to offset a pair of birdies and finished tied for fifth at five-under.Also tied for fifth was Pat Perez (FSY) (71) and Fredrik Jacobson (FSY), who finished second in the 2010 Texas Open, had four birdies and a bogey on Sunday. Players in their 20s have won three of the last four PGA Tour events and four of the last six. A player in his age has not won since Rory Sabbatini (FSY) at the Honda Classic, a span of seven events. Asked about a so full of relative unknowns leaderboard, lightly Steele. "The guys that households are not household names names when they started, "said Idyllwind, California, native. -You have to make yourself a household name, and you've got to start somewhere.Steele won last year's nationwide Tour Championship in South Carolina to earn a Tour card but had never led any round in his previous 11 starts on tour. But reflexes from at least moderate fame is not new to his family – Steeles Uncle Anthony Geary plays Luke in the ABC soap opera General Hospital, In perhaps a rookie mistake, Steele cut her finger on Texas Open glass and stone trophy at the same time as the pictures after his victory. In a tournament whose slogan is "unappologetically Texan", he also took home a pair of boots as he struggled to pull. "Can I get a horse for, "he asked jokingly.
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