News >> Alumni Update-Lamely Captures Puerto Rico Open

Former Member Earns First Win, 7 Finish Top 10
 
Rio Grand, Puerto Rico (March 15, 2010)…Former Hooters Tour member Derek Lamely captured his first PGA TOUR title Monday by firing a six-under par 66 in the final round at the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular.(Picture left courtesy of cohen/getty images
 
Lamely posted a nineteen-under par 269, which set the tournament scoring mark at the Trump International Golf Club International-Puerto Rico, to win by two strokes over fellow alum Kris Blanks. 
 
The twenty-nine year old started the tournament with a three-under par 69 and followed that with a one-under par 71 to stand at four-under par heading into Sunday’s Third Round. Lamely then vaulted up the leader board with a course record nine-under par 63 before closing with a 66 on Monday to capture the title.
 
"I knew if I kept playing well and I kept trying to make birdies, I knew I would get within striking distance," said Lamely, who was four strokes behind third-round leader and Hooters alum Kevin Streelman entering the final round.
 
For Lamely it was a slow week thanks in part to heavy rains that postponed the first round until Friday and ultimately pushed the tournament into a Monday finish.
 
With the victory, Lamely collects a first place check worth $630,000 and moves to 22nd on the money list with $717,634 in earnings.
 
Lamely played the Hooters Tour during the 2008 season. He made the cut in four of the seven events he entered and posted three top 10’s with a second place finish in his first event.
 
Three-time Hooters Tour winner Kris Blanks had his best career week on the PGA TOUR in Puerto Rico. Blanks opened with a season best seven-under par 65 in the first round and backed that up with rounds of 70-67-71 to finish all alone in second place at seventeen-under par 271. With his second place finish Monday, Blanks earns $378,000 and moves into 52nd place on the money list.
 
While Lamely and Blanks finished one and two respectively they weren’t the only Hooters Tour alums to fair well for the week. Joining these two accomplished alumni were Brendon de Jonge (T-3), Kevin Streelman (T-3), James Nitties (T-3), Chad Collins (T-10), Bill Lunde (T-10), Jeff Maggert (T-12), Nicholas Thompson (T-12), Skip Kendall (T-17), Jeff Klauk (T-17), Tom Pernice Jr (T-24), John Daly (T-24), Boo Weekley (T-24), Michael Connell (t-33), Martin Flores (T-33), Spencer Levin (T-33), Aron Price (T-33), J.J. Henry (T-38), Kent Jones (T-38), Craig Barlow (T-42), Shaun Micheel (T-45), current member Manuel Villegas (T-45), Steve Flesch (T-54), Erik Compton (T-61), Chris Stroud (T-61), Jay Williamson (T-65), Brent DelaHoussaye (T-68),John Merrick (T-68) and Steve Lowery (70).
 
These players all had great weeks Puerto Rico but a handful of alumni had solid weeks in Florida at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. The top alumni finisher for the week was Camilo Villegas. Villegas finished (T-16), while Sean O’Hair (T-18), Scott Verplank (T-30), Stewart Cink (T-37), Zach Johnson (T-37), Jim Furyk (T-37), Ryan Palmer (T-45), David Toms (T-50) and Jerry Kelly (T-50).
 
The NGA/Hooters Tour is the 3rd largest men’s 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours, and boasts alumni like 2009 British Open Champion Stewart Cink, 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson, 2003 PGA Champion Shaun Micheel, 2003 British Open winner Ben Curtis, 2003 US Open winner Jim Furyk, two time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen, British Open and PGA Champion John Daly, as well as British Open winner Tom Lehman, PGA Champion David Toms, 2003 Tour Championship Winner Chad Campbell, 2004 & 2005 Reno Tahoe Open winner Vaughn Taylor and TPC winner Craig Perks to name just a few. All told, the NGA/Hooters Tour’s alumni have an incredible 11 “Majors” to their credit. The NGA/Hooters Tour has helped more than 100 professionals acquire their PGA, Champions, and Nationwide Tour cards.
 
 For more information about the NGA/Hooters Tour, please visit our web site, www.HOOTERSTOUR.com.