Castle Rock
It took 15 years from the time he turned pro for Dean Wilson to reach his dream of winning on the PGA Tour. The Hawaiian did so Sunday, besting Tour veteran Tom Lehman in a playoff at The International, and in the process won a battle of nerves that waylaid contenders on the pressure-packed back nine at Castle Pines.
The nerves nearly claimed Wilson, too, who went to the 18th tee in regulation tied with Lehman with 34 points. He pushed his tee shot well right onto the side of a hill.
“I blocked that drive. Nerves got me,” Wilson said. “I choked my guts out there.”
He somehow calmed himself to make par, went to the driving range to find his rhythm before the playoff, then split the fairway on the two extra holes it took to defeat Lehman.
Wilson was used to the pressure. After all, he spent more than a decade playing around the world trying to get onto the PGA Tour, winning just enough at times to keep his dream alive.
“That nervousness wasn’t any different,” he said of winning just enough to pay the bills.
Bubba Watson, the longest driver on tour, appeared in the best position among those chasing Wilson and Lehman to claim his first tour win. He had 31 points heading to the par-5 17th, where this tournament is often decided. Instead of a try at a 5-point eagle, Watson clanked his tee shot off the trees and finished with a double bogey.
“Nerves were my problem,” Watson said.
Everyone felt them. Wilson conquered his.
