Pappas clinches title after closing 67

Deane Pappas fired a five-under- par 67 on Sunday to rally for a one-shot victory over third-round leader Tjaart van der Walt at the Buy.com Greater Cleveland Open. Pappas finished with a four-day total of 15-under 273 to earn his first career Buy.com Tour victory.

Van der Walt shot a one-under 71 on Sunday to finish alone in second place at 14-under, while Craig Kanada and Andrew Morse tied for third at minus-13.

Pappas became the 10th first-time winner on the Buy.com Tour in 2000 and his first-prize of $72,000 moved him from 136th to 18th place on the money list.

Pappas was unfazed by the 5 1/2 hour rain delay at the start of the round and came out of the gate with birdies on his first two holes. He added another at the par-five fifth, then strung together nine straight pars before another birdie on the par-five 15th. He closed out his round with a 50-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole.

"I hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in, but fortunately I made that one on the last hole," said Pappas. "Kind of made up for all of (the others), I guess."

Pappas, van der Walt and Kanada were tied at 13-under par after van der Walt double-bogeyed the 12th hole with a four-putt from 25 feet.

Pappas then broke the tie with a birdie on the 15th, but van der Walt gained a share of first with a birdie on 15 only to drop a shot on the next hole. Pappas, playing ahead of the others, then made his long putt on the final hole for a two-shot lead and waited for the others to make their way in.

"I was trying to two-putt, no doubt about it," Pappas said of his lengthy birdie effort on the final hole. "It's not a putt you try to make birdie. I hit it perfect speed and it crawled in."

Van der Walt pulled to within a shot with a birdie on 17, but needed a 60-foot birdie putt on the final hole to tie and failed to pull off the same magic Pappas did moments earlier.

"I had absolutely no fuel today," said van der Walt, who posted the best finish of his rookie season.

Kanada, who was tied for the lead with four holes to play, managed only pars down the stretch and finished with a final-round 70. Morse also shot a two-under 70 on Sunday for his share of third.

Mark Hensby, Anthony Painter and Donnie Hammond tied for fifth place at 12-under. Hammond started the day one shot out of the lead, but struggled to an even-par 72.

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