Byron Nelson title first PGA Tour win for Wetterich

IRVING, Texas – Brett Wetterich went from frustration to elation – with a twinge of sadness – in the final round of the Byron Nelson Championship.

When the final putt dropped for his first PGA Tour victory, Wetterich pumped his arms into the air and smiled. He was also fighting back tears.

“I was really happy for myself, but I was thinking about my brother,” said Wetterich, whose older brother, Mark, died in a car accident three years ago. “It was a good feeling. I wish he was here to see it. But hopefully he was smiling down on me.”

Wetterich’s closing 2-under 68, which included a frustrating front nine, put him at 12-under 268. That was a stroke better than Trevor Immelman, a runner-up again after losing in a playoff to Jim Furyk at the Wachovia Championship last week.

The $1.116 million winner’s check for the 32-year-old Wetterich nearly matched the $1.3 million he had won in 80 PGA Tour starts since 1998. He’s the fifth first-time tour winner this season after top-10 finishes in New Orleans and Houston.

Omar Uresti (68) and Adam Scott (71) finished two strokes back at 10 under, and Chad Campbell (69) followed at 9 under. Shigeki Maruyama, the 2002 Nelson champion, had four birdies the last six holes in a round of 66 that got him in a tie for sixth at 8 under with Luke Donald (68).