Travelers Rest, S.C. – Shane Bertsch overcame a 12-stroke deficit Sunday to win the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs, shooting a 7-under-par 65 to beat Bubba Watson and Charley Hoffman by a stroke in the rain-shortened tournament.
Bertsch, who graduated from Evergreen High School and lives in Parker, played the Cliffs Valley course after opening with rounds of 69 at Walnut Cove and 68 at Keowee Vineyards in the Pebble Beach-style event. He holed an 18-foot birdie putt on his final hole to finish at 12-under 202.
Bertsch started the day tied for 22nd but said he felt he could make a move since he was playing the easiest course.
“I was shooting for a top-10 finish,” he said. “But a lot of things went my way.”
Bertsch said he looked at the leaderboard while he was on the eighth hole and realized he had a chance to win. Going up the 17th fairway he realized he was tied for the lead.
“This feels so good,” Bertsch said. “It’s a weird game. If you would have seen me Tuesday, you would have said there’s no way this guy can win here.”
Bertsch won the 2000 event, called the Upstate Classic, for his only other Nationwide Tour title. He had four top-10 finishes last year and was 25th on the money list.
“I’m a Colorado boy,” said Bertsch, who won the 1998 Colorado Open. “I guess I like the mountains around here.”
Bertsch, 35, earned $112,500 to jump from 16th to second on the money list with $158,819. The top 20 at the end of the season will earn 2006 PGA Tour cards.
“It’s nice to get a big chunk out of the way,” Bertsch said. “It takes some pressure off for the rest of the season.”
