Bryce Molder entered the final round of the Buick Classic yesterday with more pressure on him than many other players in the field.
A 17th-place finish or better would give Molder, the former Georgia Tech star, a special temporary Tour membership, which gives him an unlimited sponsor’s exemption from PGA Tour events for the rest of the year.
Molder needed $55,777 in winnings this week to reach $279,977. Despite a double-bogey, bogey start yesterday, he finished finished in a tie for 12th and won $66,500.
After this week, Molder had only one more sponsor’s exemption remaining for the year.
“This really frees me up,” Molder said. “I knew I was right on the number coming into [yesterday] and I said a little prayer before I played. It was really a tough position to be in, because every shot means so much. It makes it tough to settle down.”
Molder, though, settled down from the 3-over start yesterday to shoot a final-round 71 and finish the week at 5-under.