Veazey victorious at BellSouth Panama Championship

Jan. 30, 2005 By John Bush PGA TOUR staff

PANAMA CITY, Panama -- Vance Veazey opened up the 2005 Nationwide Tour season in impressive fashion by claiming the title at the $525,000 BellSouth Panama Championship.

Veazey fashioned an even-par 70 in the final round to finish at a tournament-record 8-under-par 272. Camilo Villegas (69), Jim McGovern (68), Jon Mills (70) and Shane Bertsch (70) all finished one stroke back.

"This has truly been an amazing week," said Veazey, a native and resident of Memphis, Tenn. "You could feel the excitement in the air all day. The people of Panama are great. The crowds were awesome. What more can you say?"

A double bogey on the second hole and a 50-footer for birdie on the third hole began what can best be described as an up-and-down day for the eventual winner. Three consecutive birdies on Nos. 6-8 provided a two-stroke lead after nine holes but Veazey then reeled off four bogeys in the next seven holes to open the door to his closest pursuers. A chip-in birdie from 40 feet on No. 17 resulted in a one-stroke cushion heading into the final hole. With four players watching from the sidelines hoping for a playoff, Veazey knocked in a 5-foot par putt to secure the victory.

"It was a rollercoaster day for me," said Veazey. "I got off to a nightmare start and then my emotions were all over the place on the back nine. Someone was definitely smiling down on me today."

Vance Veazey celebrates his third career Nationwide Tour victory. (AP)

The win was the third of Veazey's career, to go along with wins at the 1998 Shreveport Open and 1999 Carolina Classic. With the win he collects a career-best $94,500 to take the early lead on the Tour money list.

"This is by far the biggest accomplishment of my career," said Veazey. "I am 39 years old and about to turn 40. I am getting to a point in my career where I need to start doing something. Hopefully this will be a break-out year for me."

Villegas, a native of Medellin, Colombia, shared the views of the other three players who finished just one stroke behind Veazey's winning score.

"It was a great week that could have been awesome," said Villegas, who watched his 25-foot birdie attempt on the last hole lip out. "It was so much fun out there. Hats off to Vance for getting it done in the end."

With This Victory: Veazey becomes the 44th player in Tour history with at least three victories (2005 BellSouth Panama Championship, 1999 Carolina Classic, 1998 Shreveport Open). ... Veazey's winning total of $94,500 is a career-best, surpassing the $46,929 he won in finishing tied for 20th at the PGA TOUR's 2003 FedEx St. Jude Classic.

News & Notes: The par-70 Panama Golf Club, the toughest course on the Nationwide Tour a year ago, played to an average of 71.574 this week. The toughest hole was the par-4 10th hole with a scoring average of 4.272, while the par-5 fourth hole was the easiest at 4.579. ... There were no bogey-free rounds on Sunday and only five for the week. ... Two sponsor's picks finished inside the Top 10 this week, including Camilo Villegas (T2) and Ricky Barnes (T7). ... The Nationwide Tour will be in action again February 17-20 at the Jacob's Creek Open Championship in Adelaide, Australia.