ATLANTA (Reuters) - American Heath Slocum holed a 60-foot birdie putt at the 16th hole en route to a one-stroke victory on Sunday over compatriot Bill Haas at the inaugural McGladrey Classic at St. Simon's Island in Georgia.
Slocum, despite a bogey at the last, posted a two-under-par 68 for a 14-under-par total of 266 for his first victory of the season and fourth of his U.S. PGA Tour career.
"The putt on 16, I mean that's the tournament winner," said 36-year-old Slocum, the overnight leader whose last win came at the 2009 Barclays, opening event of the FedExCup playoffs.
"It goes in from where you could three-putt more times than you're going to make it. When that went in, that was huge."
Haas, who won last week's Viking Classic, eagled the par-five 15th to reach 13 under par but could not gain another stroke, parring the last three holes for a 66.
The 28-year-old Haas said he had an ideal chance for birdie at the par-four 16th but fouled up.
"I hit a perfect drive there and had a perfect sand wedge distance, and I just pulled it," he said. "It was just a bad shot."
Tied for third place on 12-under-par were Australian Robert Allenby, Arjun Atwal of India and American David Toms.
Atwal (66) posted five birdies before slipping with a bogey at the 18th, while Allenby registered six birdies before taking a double-bogey at the last to ruin his bid for victory.
"I struggled with it all week," Allenby said about the tee shot at the 18th guarded by a hazard on the right. "That hole cost me four shots this week, just in two bad drives.
(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York, Editing by Frank Pingue)
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