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Domenico Geminiani, 15, finishes T29-

Sorrento, Fla. - January 18, 2012 - Standing on the first playoff hole with PGA Tour veteran Danny Ellis and Nationwide Tour veteran Rob Oppenheim, rookie T.J. Bordeaux struggled to look calm.

“I know they could see me squirming,” said Bordeaux. “I don’t care; I was nervous.”

However, those nerves were replaced with elation after Bordeaux birdied the second playoff hole to win the NGA Pro Golf Tour Bridgestone Winter Series event at Red Tail Golf Course on Wednesday.

“This is unbelievable,” said Bordeaux, a former University of the Pacific standout. “From the start of the day, I knew it was going to be tough. I played with Rob, and he’s just rock solid. You can tell he’s been there and wasn’t fazed. I’m just glad I could perform under the gun. I was nervous, but it’s gratifying to know I was able to keep it together.”

The win was worth $13,500 and marked the second event in a row that the Tacoma, Wash., golfer finished in the top five.

“Everybody comes down here thinking they can win, but I quickly realized it’s a process,” said Bordeaux. “You go out in college and feel like you can win every event. Down here, there are so many good golfers. I still thought I could win, but I’m way ahead of my curve now.”

Bordeaux started week with an 8-under 64 to jump out to the early lead, but Oppenheim of Andover, Mass., roared back with a tournament-low 62 to grab a share of the leading going into the final round.

The event looked to be a two-man battle until Ellis of Heathrow caught fire on the final nine. The veteran of 113 PGA Tour starts birdied five of his first six holes on the backside to pull into contention. Ellis, a former Clemson University standout, added another birdie at the final hole to join Oppenheim and Bordeaux with 14-under par 202 totals, setting up a three-way playoff.

Oppenheim was eliminated on the first extra, and Bordeaux finished off Ellis with a birdie on the second. Ellis and Oppenheim earned $6,100 for their runner-up finishes.

Jeff Corr, the reigning NGA Pro Golf Tour Player of the Year, narrowly missed out on the playoff. Corr of Longwood shot a final-round 66 to finish fourth at 13-under par.

Jim Renner, a 2011 PGA Tour member, carded an 8-under 64 in the final round to jump from T18 to fifth at 12-under par. Christopher Ross (Ontario, Canada) matched Renner for the low round of the day to finish at 11-under par and tied for sixth with David Johnson (Palm Bay).

Bordeaux’s win was the third by NGA Tour rookies on the Bridgestone Winter Series this season, but he wasn’t the only rookie to put in an impressive performance this week.

Domenico Geminiani of Bradenton made the first cut of his young career on the NGA Pro Golf Tour. The 15-year-old golfer finished T29 in his fourth start on the Bridgestone Winter Series.

“It was fun to play with guys that can really go low,” said Geminiani, who was paired with PGA and Champions Tour legend Fulton Allem. “I got to see him shoot a 30 on the backside one day, that was impressive. Plus, he helped me for about 30 minutes after the round. It was a good week.”

Zachary Sobel (Clearwater), Scott Langley (Manchester, Mo.) and Matt Hoffman (Thornhill, Ontario) also had good weeks, finishing T8 at 10-under par.

For full-field scores, click here.

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