HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — Canada’s Roger Sloan won the Nova Scotia Open on Sunday for first Web.com Tour title, holing a 5-foot par putt on the first hole of a playoff with Derek Fathauer.
The 27-year-old Sloan, a former Texas-El Paso player from Merritt, British Columbia, played 37 holes Sunday after high wind from Tropical Storm Arthur wiped out third-round play Saturday.
After the victory, the fans celebrated with a spontaneous rendition of “O Canada.”
“I love being a Canadian,” Sloan said. “They just broke out in song. This means so much to win this here. I don’t know which feels better — to win or to be done today. It was a long day.”
Sloan closed with rounds of 71 and 70 to match Fathauer at 11-under 273 on Ashburn Golf Club’s New Course. Fathauer had rounds of 71 and 66.
Sloan earned $117,000 to jump from 80th to 12th on the money list with $149,303, putting him into position to earn a PGA Tour card as a top-25 finisher in the regular season.
“That’s just icing on the cake,” Sloan said.
Sloan rebounded from a bogey on No. 12 with birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 and closed with four pars.
“I had zero awareness of where I stood all day,” Sloan said. “I asked my caddie on 18 where we stood and he told me that up-and-down would get me in a playoff.”
He holed a 4 1/2-footer on the par-4 18th to force the playoff.
“That was ticklish putt,” he said. “It went down a cliff.”
Fathauer bogeyed Nos. 16 and 18 in regulation, three-putting from 25 feet on the last hole.
“I kind of fumbled things coming in,” Fathauer said.
Fathauer’s drive on No. 18 in the playoff found the trees to the right, while Sloan split the fairway. Fathauer clipped the trees on his second, leaving him 100 yards away, while Sloan hit to 40 feet.
Fathauer missed his par attempt from 30 feet, and Sloan holed his par putt for the win.
Sloan is the third Canadian to win a Web.com Tour event in Canada, following Richard Zokol in the 2001 Canadian PGA Championship and David Hearn in the 2004 Alberta Classic.
John Mallinger shot 67-73 to finish third at 8 under.
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