Riegger breaks through for big win in big-money LaSalle Bank  PGA TOUR Staff GLENVIEW, Ill. -- Sunday shootouts are a common occurrence on the Nationwide Tour and the final round of the LaSalle Bank Open was no exception. With three players carrying the lead into the final round, fans were almost guaranteed a thrilling finish at one of the Tour's premier events. That's exactly what they got, as veteran John Riegger drained a 20-foot birdie putt on the last hole to emerge with his first Tour victory.  Victory proves that John Riegger is rounding back into form after a long stretch of injuries. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
After beginning the day tied for the lead with Tag Ridings (71) and Jason Day (73), Riegger recorded a 4-under-par 68 to finish the tournament at 17-under 271, one shot in front of runner-up B.J. Staten (68). Ridings and Day finished tied for fifth and tied for ninth, respectively. "This feels great," said Riegger, a 43-year-old native of Metropolis, Ill. "Chicago is a great town (to win in). If you can't have fun here, then you can't have fun anywhere." Riegger was having plenty of fun during the final round thanks to his putter. In addition to his lengthy birdie putt on the last hole, Riegger's path to victory was made easier when he rolled in a 35-foot birdie on the par-5 fifth and a 40-footer on the par-4 seventh hole. "I can honestly say this is the first tournament I've won with my putter," said Riegger. "I've hit it good enough in a lot of tournaments and not won. The putter was definitely the key for me today. I was making putts you don't expect to make, put it that way." Riegger and Staten were two of about 10 players who appeared to have a legitimate chance to win the championship at some point on Sunday, but both rose above the crowd with solid play on the finishing holes at The Glen Club. Staten pulled into a share of the lead when his 7-iron on the par-3 17th hole rolled to within three feet of the cup for an easy tap-in. But it was Riegger who had the last laugh, posting birdies on three of the last six holes to win in his 291st start in a PGA TOUR-sponsored event (198 PGA TOUR, 93 Nationwide Tour). "It has been a long time," said Riegger, who played his first year on the PGA TOUR in 1987. "I've won a lot of tournaments on the mini-tours and overseas, but never on one of the major tours in the United States. I've had chances to win on the PGA TOUR but never pulled it off." With the victory, Riegger claims the $135,000 first-place prize and moves into the sixth spot among "The 25" with $169,481. It also puts aside any doubts that he is finally rounding back into form after battling shoulder, back and rib injuries dating back to the 2003 season. "This gives me the confidence to know when I get my back straightened out things will be looking up," said Riegger. "But more than anything this gives you the confidence and faith in yourself that you can get it done. If I didn't still believe that I could win, not only on this Tour but the PGA TOUR as well, I wouldn't still be beating it around." Final-Round News & Notes: B.J. Staten, who collected $81,000 for his runner-up finish, was the only player in the field to shoot four sub-70 rounds. ... Kris Blanks, who gained entry into the field with a tie for 25th place finish last week at the Melwood Prince George's County Open, finished a career-best tied for third to guarantee another start next week. ... Omar Uresti (T7) and James Driscoll (T9) notched their second consecutive top-10 finish. Speaking of Uresti, he has now posted five top-10 finishes in nine starts and has recorded par-or-better scores in 23 of his last 24 rounds. ... Despite missing the cut, Nick Flanagan maintained his lead on the money list. ... In 12 events, John Riegger is the sixth player this season to carry the 54-hole lead on to victory. ... The 54-hole leader has now gone on to win three times in six years at the LaSalle Bank Open. ... There were six bogey-free rounds on Sunday (Michael Long, 65; Kris Blanks, 67; Jay Williamson, 68; Chris Stroud, 69; Greg Kraft, 69; Chez Reavie, 70), bringing the total for the week to 28. It was the second consecutive bogey-free round for Blanks (who played the last 45 holes without a bogey), Stroud (43 holes) and Williamson (37 holes). ... The final round scoring average was 70.424, while the cumulative average this week was 71.422 (compared to 73.857 a year ago). ... The state of North Carolina plays host to the Nationwide Tour this week for the $450,000 Rex Hospital Open. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
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