China’s Zecheng Dou delivers win at The Ascendant TPC Colorado

One other spherical of constant golf on Sunday helped Zecheng “Marty” Dou break a three-way tie and safe first place at The Ascendant TPC Colorado.

Dou entered the ultimate 18 holes knotted with Ryan McCormick and Dawson Armstrong atop the leaderboard, however after a robust 5-under-par fourth and closing spherical, the 25-year-old from Henan, China sat alone. His 271 strokes (69-67-68-67) marked the bottom successful complete within the Korn Ferry Tour occasion’s four-year historical past.

Following his third spherical on Saturday, Dou stated he mirrored on the earlier 3 times he had entered a closing spherical in first place, which resulted in a pair of wins and a runner-up end. His sturdy historical past of closing out occasions gave him a beneficial additional little bit of assurance.

“I knew that I must be assured,” Dou stated. “I shouldn’t be petrified of something. If there’s anyone extra nervous, it’s not me. I must be the one which’s relaxed as a result of I do know I’ve a greater probability of enjoying good.”

And he did simply that.

Dou drilled 4 birdies on the back-nine and exited the Berthoud course with an final one-stroke lead over fellow Chinese language golfer Carl Yuan, who Dou stated he’d been {golfing} with since they had been seven or 8-years-old. Yuan was fast to bathe his longtime pal in water after the win.

“All my buddies out right here, they preserve me motivated,” Dou stated. “I attempt to do the identical and preserve them motivated and play good collectively and be someplace on the high of the PGA Tour someday.”

Additionally serving to Dou was native caddy Drayson Bowman, a former NHL participant for the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens. Bowman stated Dou didn’t miss many photographs all week and was a “ball-striking machine.”

After Dou’s third profession Korn Ferry Tour win — the others coming in 2017 and 2019 — he formally earned a PGA Tour card for the primary time since 2017.

“The primary yr I bought there, I type of felt that I wasn’t prepared,” Dou stated. “But it surely’s been three years now from that point, and I do really feel like all components of my recreation are set for the massive tour.”

In third place, three golfers tied with 273 strokes: Brandon Matthews, Augusto Núñez and former College of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul. Paul shot his greatest spherical on Sunday (6-under-par) and acquired good applause from the Berthoud crowd when he entered the 18th inexperienced.

“That was what I dreamed of coming into this week, having an opportunity on the final couple holes on a Sunday,” Paul stated. “It looks like a house occasion to me. I actually tried to take pleasure in it and it provides you goosebumps when all people’s clapping and persons are rooting for you. It’s superior.”

The previous Buff earned 145 factors to maneuver into thirty third place on the Korn Ferry Tour’s factors listing, which rewards its high 25 with a PGA Tour card.