Nelson Ledesma, Joey Conti, special to PGA TOUR
In contrast to Saturday’s fireworks, Sunday was a calm day at Peek’n Peak’s course. The low round of the day was 65, and it allowed Mark Hubbard to move up 29 spots, into a tie for 15th. There was one 66, from another Mark (Blakefield) and he moved from 15th to T4 as a result. Then came the most important score of the day, Nelson Ledesma’s 67. Ledesma began the day a shot behind the leader, Sebastián Muñoz. With no previous victories on the Web Tour, the Argentine hoped to break through for a win. And so he did, by playing perfect golf on Sunday.
Ledesma followed the ideal script for victory in round 4 of the LECOM Health Challenge. He made an early birdie and avoided bogeys as the round unfolded. Nearing the turn, he pounced with birdies at 7,8 and 9. The triumvirate of sub-par holes gave him the lead, and he never let go. A final birdie at 16, the short but tricky par four, gave him the margin he needed to close out a 2-shot victory.
Nelson Ledesma, Joey Conti, special to PGA TOUR
Muñoz struggled out of the gate. His tee shot on the second hole, the longest par four on the course, found primary rough. From there, he gouged his approach to the fringe, but was unable to save par with an up-and-down. At the 4th hole, a treacherous but manageable par five, his second shot again found primary rough. Forced to chunk his third shot out, he again failed to get up and down for par, essentially giving away 2 shots. Muñoz settled down and made 4 birdies the rest of the way, including back-to-back at the 2 closing holes. He finished in a tie for 2nd place, at 20-under par, 2 behind the victor.
Kyle Jones, also in search of an inaugural Web.Com Tour title, also hit a few leftover potholes from western New York’s winter. He made bogey at the 5th, the hole that did not exist on the original course layout. Jones hit his tee ball to the fringe but, like Muñoz above, could not get up and down for par. Birdies at 2 and 8 kept him in the thick of things, heading to the back nine.
At the 10th, Jones reached the par-four hole in regulation, but three-putted to give up another stroke. Like Muñoz, he finished strong, with 3 birdies over the next 8 holes. His finish certainly gave him impetus for the coming weeks on tour. Once again, Peek’n Peak confirmed why the touring pros consider the resort one of their favorite tour stops. With family-centered activities and a loyal assemblage of volunteers and fans, the LECOM should have staying power for years to come.
Nelson Ledesma, Joey Conti, special to PGA Tour
