Chris Smith ended his PGA Tour drought at the Westchester County Club by winning his first career title at the Buick Classic. Smith taking part in his 148th PGA event shot a one-under-par 70 in the final round to finish at 12-under, two shots ahead of David Gossett, Pat Perez and Loran Roberts.
Smith's previous best finish was a tie for third at the 2001 BellSouth Classic but he moved in front here with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 15th. He put himself in position by hitting a long drive on the 462 yard hole. Perez joined Smith at 11-under-par with a birdie at the 16th. But he immediately fell back, three-putting for bogey on the 17th.
David Gossett using his sister Joni as his caddie was also in contention. He reached 11-under with a birdie on the 14th, but the 23-year-old fell back with bogeys on the next two holes. Loran Roberts, who has not won since the 200 Greater Milwaukee Open, also shot even after a round that included four birdies and four bogeys.
But Smith was overjoyed by his first success saying, "The last two or three years, I haven't felt like I chipped the ball as well as I should. To hit shots when I needed them and to make putts when I needed them is the missing piece to the puzzle that I've been looking for a long time".
Filed by James Shortt
