Playa del Carmen, Mexico (SportsNetwork.com) - Charley Hoffman shot a final-round, 5-under 66 and a bogey on the final hole was good enough to give him a 1-shot victory over Shawn Stefani at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba on Sunday.
Hoffman finished the week at 17-under-par 267 to secure his third victory on the PGA Tour. Hoffman's last win came at the 2010 Deutsche Bank Championship.
"The two wins, it's been a while in between, but obviously I kept calm out there and just kept hitting good shots," said Hoffman.
Heading into the final hole one shot up on Stefani, Hoffman tripped to a bogey, but Stefani also made a mess of No. 18 and dropped a shot. Stefani fired a 2-under 69 and he finished the week at 16-under 268.
Danny Lee made a ton of noise on the front nine, but he struggled down the stretch. Lee shot a 4-under 67 to finish tied for third at 15-under 269 with Andres Gonzales, who also shot a 67 at El Camaleon Golf Course.
Jerry Kelly ended three shots back at 14-under 270 after a final-round, 3- under 68, while Brice Garnett shot a 66 to finish alone in sixth at minus-13. Third-round leader Jason Bohn struggled on his way to a 3-over 74 and he finished tied for seventh with Tony Finau (65) at minus-12.
Defending champion Harris English finished with a 1-under 70 and he ended tied for 37th at 7-under 277.
Stefani grabbed an early share of the lead at 14-under when Bohn bogeyed the second hole. In the meantime, Hoffman began to make his move with a birdie on No. 4, joining Lee at minus-13 after Lee made gains on three and four.
Lee continued to cruise with his third consecutive birdie on five, putting him in a tie for the lead with Bohn and Stefani. Lee made it four in a row with another gain on six, while Stefani made birdie on five, getting them both to 15-under. Hoffman made his second straight birdie on five to remain within one. A Bohn bogey on seven followed by a double-bogey on eight dropped him off the pace and he never recovered.
The birdie train continued to roll for Lee, Stefani and Hoffman. Lee drained his fifth straight birdie on No. 7, while Stefani and Hoffman had birdies of their own on six, putting Lee and Stefani at minus-16 with Hoffman a shot back.
Lee made it six in a row on No. 8 to take the outright lead at 17-under and he did not stop there as his seventh consecutive birdie on nine got him to 18- under and finished off a 29 on the front nine. Stefani also made his third birdie in a row on seven to keep him one shot back at minus-17, while Hoffman was still three back at 15-under.
Hoffman, playing in the final group with Stefani and Bohn, made a birdie on No. 9 and he made the turn two shots back of the lead. Lee's birdie streak came to an end when he made two straight pars on 10 and 11. He followed those up with his first bogey on 12, dropping Lee back into a tie for the lead with Stefani.
After beginning the back nine with a trio of pars, Hoffman grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie on the par-5 13th, while Stefani tripped to a bogey. Now with Lee and Hoffman in the lead, Lee dropped his second shot on the par-3 15th and just like that Hoffman had the lead to himself.
Hoffman made another big birdie on No. 16 to give himself a two-shot cushion with Lee and Stefani sitting at minus-16, but Stefani came back with a big gain of his own on No. 17 to get within one heading to the final hole.
With Lee out of the picture after he tripped to a bogey at the last in the penultimate group, Stefani hit his tee shot into a bunker, while Hoffman pulled his well left and his ball settled right at the base of a tree.
All Stefani could do was lay up short of the green, while Hoffman hit his shot left handed back into the fairway.
Hoffman's approach was about 30 feet left of the hole, but Stefani chunked his third shot and came up short of the green. Stefani chipped on and made his bogey putt, but Hoffman two-putted for bogey to claim the title.
"I was behind a little bit and I just kept hitting good shots and giving myself chances," Hoffman said. "Obviously Danny must have made a couple bogeys coming down the stretch, but I was able to keep giving myself opportunities for birdie. Made a couple, obviously wish I could have made a couple more of those, but really happy."
While Lee struggled on the back nine, he was still pleased with his effort on Sunday.
"I'm happy with the way I finished," Lee said. "The back nine on this course is very tough. You kind of have to hit perfect golf shots to make birdies on the back nine, which I didn't. I think I was a little bit nervous and I was rushing myself. I should have taken a little bit more time. There's always a next week and next year."
NOTES: Hoffman missed the cut in two of his three events heading into this week ... Stefani also lost to Justin Rose in a playoff at the Quicken Loans National earlier this year ... Lee has never won on the PGA Tour ... Bohn was bogey free on his first two rounds, but he made five bogeys and one double- bogey over his final 36 holes ... Hoffman earned $1,098,000 with the victory ... The PGA Tour is off until the Hero World Challenge on December 4. Zach Johnson won that event last year.
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