Webb Simpson never backed down and never flinched — and because of that, he's a first-time winner on the PGA Tour.
Simpson, a former Wake Forest All-America, shot a hard-earned, bogey-free 67 on Sunday to win the Wyndham Championship by three shots at Sedgefield Country Club.
After two near-misses this season, Simpson was all smiles after breaking through in his 86th professional start on tour.
"I couldn't think of a better place for my first PGA Tour win," said Simpson, a Raleigh native who lives in Charlotte.
With a large number of friends and family following his every move, Simpson, 26, never lost the lead that he carried over from the third round. He made eight straight pars, and then made birdie on nine before he took control for good on No. 15 with another birdie.
It's not always easy being one of the pre-tournament favorites. Simpson was the center of a large marketing campaign, which included a billboard in Winston-Salem with a bigger-than-life Simpson swinging a club.
Once Simpson committed to the tournament earlier this summer, tournament director Mark Brazil immediately tagged him as the favorite.
Simpson shot 18 under par for the tournament, three shots clear of George McNeill, who shot a final-round 64. Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey, who was paired with Simpson, was also trying to win his first PGA Tour tournament. He shot a 69 to finish four shots behind.
When Simpson — who jumped up to third on the FedEx Cup points race and also moved inside the top 10 for the President's Cup list — tapped in his short par putt on 18, his wife, Dowd, and their six-month-old son, James, were there for hugs.
"There are no words to express this," Dowd, also a Wake Forest graduate, said. "It's been a long time coming and winning this tournament means so much with family and friends here to share it with us. This has been awesome."
The way Simpson calmed his nerves all week, especially on Sunday, was something that impressed his caddie, Paul Tesori.
Instead of watching the leaderboard, Simpson let Tesori worry about it.
"The first time he asked me today where we stood was going up to 16, and I let him know we were up by two shots," Tesori said. "Birdieing 16 was huge because it gave us some room."
Simpson closed the door by slamming in a birdie putt on the par-3 16th to open up a three-shot lead.
"I never thought that winning on the PGA Tour would be this hard — all the pressure and everything that goes on to win a golf tournament — but I'm extremely pleased and I really love the way I finished today," said Simpson, who became the 12th first-time winner on tour this season and the third former Wake Forest player to win in the long history of the Greensboro tournament.
One thing that kept Simpson loose on Sunday was his second straight day of playing with Gainey, according to Tesori.
"It was fun for a while, but I had a chance and I didn't perform like Webb did," Gainey said while signing autographs after his round. "But you know, my day is coming. His day was today and I wish Webb the best because he's a great champion.
"He's great for the game of golf and golf needs more guys like Webb Simpson."
Simpson and his young family were going to make a celebratory stop for something to eat on Sunday night. They were both hoping that James would sleep on the car ride back to Raleigh.
"We'll probably stop at Chipotle, get some food on the way home and try to get some sleep," he said.
That's how a young family celebrates what might be a life-changing victory.
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