Four-time Nationwide winner Stiles wins in New Zealand

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CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- Despite having two days of play rained out at this week's $650,000 HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship, tournament organizers and fans finally got their money's worth on Sunday. Glorious skies greeted the Nationwide Tour at the rain-shortened 36-hole event, with Darron Stiles the last man standing.

USA's Darron Stiles celebrates his win in New Zealand. (Cianflone/Getty Images)

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Stiles, who began the day tied with David Hearn (77) and Matt Bettencourt (75), got off to a sensational start with birdies on five of the first six holes (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6) - building up a lead of four strokes at one point. Despite a bogey on the par-3 ninth hole, Stiles managed a 4-under 68 on Sunday to step into the winner's circle for the first time since the 2006 Rheem Classic.

"Something you would say is that you want to win the first event of the year," said Stiles, a 34-year-old native of St. Petersburg, Fla. "But to come out and win the third event or to win any time of the year is fantastic. From now on, I'll have that much more confidence the rest of the season."

The former golf standout and 1995 graduate of Florida Southern College had to withstand a furious rally from local favorite David Smail -- who posted the round of the day at the par-72 Clearwater Golf Club with a 66. "I had to be aggressive today, and I was pretty close to every stick," said Smail, a 37-year-old native of Hamilton, New Zealand. "I made my first birdie on the par-3 (No. 4), and then the floodgates opened. Nine-under was actually the score I was thinking of in order to have a chance to win today."

Stiles, whose victory comes in his 182nd career Nationwide Tour event, ultimately held Smail at bay by playing the final nine holes in a steady fashion with nine consecutive pars. The final par was a nail-biter, as his initial 40-foot birdie putt came up seven feet short. He calmly knocked in the putt, however, to become just the third American to win the Nationwide Tour's annual stop in New Zealand.

"I never make things easy," said Stiles. "It was a pressure putt. To make that putt when that's been the area and length that I've been struggling with is awesome."

The victory was worth $117,000 for Stiles. While the earnings are official, the fact that the victory goes down as an unofficial win was of little concern to Stiles. "Everything on this Tour is based on the money list," said Stiles, who has now notched five career wins on Tour (four official, one unofficial). "So even though the win is unofficial, the money I won today will go a long way toward finishing first on the money list at the end of the year."

Stiles is hoping the victory will lead him back to the PGA TOUR, where he lost his card in 2007 with a 192nd-place finish on the money list. "This Tour is still a proving ground," said Stiles. "I needed to come here and regroup in my head and find out what I have to do to get back to the PGA TOUR. That is what this Tour does so well. It gives you a great place to play. The competition is just as tough out here, if not tougher, than it is on the PGA TOUR."

Heavy downpours on Friday and Saturday at the par-72 Clearwater Golf Club led to the cancellation of play both days, leading to the first 36-hole event on the Nationwide Tour since the 2001 Ozarks Open.

Final Round News & Notes

The 36-hole cut was finally made at the completion of play on Sunday, with 64 players at 1-under 143 or better receiving paychecks ... The only players in Tour history with more wins than Darron Stiles are six-time winners Sean Murphy, Matt Gogel and Jason Gore ... Darron Stiles stood at 2 over on his round and 4 under for the event on Saturday morning when inclement weather forced the cancelation of play. Tournament Officials then made the decision to wipe out the scores for the 51 players who began the abbreviated round, moving Stiles back to 6 under for the start of play on Sunday ... Runner-up David Smail was making his first start at a PGA Tour of Australasia event since the 2007 Australian Open in December. His previous best finish on the Nationwide Tour were tie for 10th-place efforts at the 2005 Jacob's Creek Open and the 2006 HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship ... 2005 U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell, who began the day at 2 under, recorded a 4-over 77 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 98th place. Campbell's participation this week made him the 11th player to play in a Nationwide Tour event after winning a Major Championship ... 2008 Panama Movistar Championship winner Scott Dunlap and 2008 Mexico Open champion Jarrod Lyle both finished in 15th place ... The Nationwide Tour heads to Australia this week for the inaugural $750,000 Moonah Classic, another co-sanctioned event with the PGA Tour of Australasia. It marks the fourth of 30 official events on the 2008 schedule.