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| Meet Tony Finua from the U.S. - Winner of the Puerto Rico Open |
Tony Finau, 26, defeated Steve Marino on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff on the 18th at Coco Beach to win the Puerto Rico Open.
"I think I'm still a little bit overwhelmed. It probably hasn't all sunk in," said Finua
"I tried to just stay in the moment really. That's what I learned from last year. You can never look too far ahead and you can't look back, either. You've got to focus on the here and now. I did a really good job of that today even though that putt slipped by in regulation for the win, I knew I still didn't lose the tournament. I needed to refocus and get ready to play 18 again. That's what it takes out here I feel like to win. And now that I have that feeling, it's pretty special."
The 36-year-old Marino remained winless in his PGA Tour career after three-putting for par from the back fringe on the final hole. He now has five runner-ups and just under $10 million in career earnings.
Local pro Rafael Campos, the 36-hole leader, shot a second consecutive 72 to finish T-8. Earlier in the week, he became the first Puerto Rican to lead a PGA Tour event since Chi Chi Rodriguez in 1979.
Ian Poulter, the 54-hole leader, shot 72 and finished one shot out of the playoff. He parred his final 13 holes.
"It's a shame and just slightly disappointing. I'm continuing to work on the game to try and improve, and I know if I rectify a couple of poor shots, then my game will improve. Obviously, hitting shots slightly too far right at certain times is costly," said Poulter.
The next PGATour tournament is the Shell Houston Open in Humble Texas with the first round beginning on Thursday, March 31st.
Segments of this article may also appear at Golf Digest
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