John Lee rallies for tournament win

John Lee admits he’s not the same golfer he was 12 years ago. But there is one thing that those two have in common: they both won the South Florida PGA Open.

Lee, the head professional at Imperial Golf Club in Naples, rallied to win on Friday at Naples Grande Golf Club, firing a 4-under-par 68 to beat out second-round leader Lee Rinker. Lee also won in 1994 when the tournament was played at The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.

“My game is so much different now,” Lee said. “I hit the ball a lot straight now; even though I don’t hit it straight, I hit it straighter. I keep it in play and hit a lot better iron shots. My putting was probably better than it is now.”

Lee, 44, caught Rinker with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8 and 9, the first on a downhill, 35-foot putt. He grabbed the lead when Rinker bogeyed No. 11, and never let go.

“That one really kind of gave me the feel that you could probably make some putts,” Lee said of the birdie on No. 8.

Rinker, the reigning South Florida PGA Section Player of the Year, birdied two of the first three holes, but made three bogeys and one birdie after that.

“I just didn’t score well,” he said. “Basically, I didn’t putt well.”

“It surprised me,” Lee said of Rinker’s play. “He didn’t hit shots I’m used to seeing and really expect to see every time. I was fortunate in that respect.”

Hideout Golf Club head professional Gene Fieger, who won in 2002 and 2003, started the day tied with Lee for second, but could never get going. He ended up shooting even-par 72, just like Rinker, and finished fourth, his sixth top-five finish in six years.

Nevin Sutcliffe of Greentree Resort in Lehigh Acres matched Lee’s 68 and was third at 6-under-par 210. Dennis Meyer of Estero had the best final round, shooting a 67 to tie for fifth with John Nelson of Coral Springs.

Chappell Brown, a West Palm Beach resident headed to the University of Florida, won the amateur division. Brown shot a 73 for a 1-under 215 total, eight shots better than Scott Turner of Stuart. Naples’ Mark McCabe was third at 226.

John Calabria, the membership sales director at The Golf Club of Fiddler’s Creek, won the senior division by eight shots on Thursday.

South Florida PGA Open at Naples Grande Golf Club -- Par-72

Top 10

1. John Lee, Naples 74-65-68/207; 2. Lee Rinker, Jupiter, 71-66-72/209; 3. Nevin Sutcliffe, Lehigh Acres, 70-74-68/210; 4. Gene Fieger, Naples, 73-66-72/211; 5. John Nelson, Coral Springs, 73-70-69/212; 5. Dennis Meyer, Estero, 73-72-67/212; 7. Jason Hrynkiw, Jupiter, 72-73-68/213; 7. Thomas Cleaver, Boca Raton, 70-73-70/213; 9. a-Chappell Brown, West Palm Beach, 70-72-73/215; 9. Christopher Toulson, Weston, 76-68-71/215

Other scores

216 — Christopher Campbell, Vero Beach, 70-73-73; 217 — Andy Zullo, Fort Myers, 76-68-73; 219 — Brian Peaper, Tequesta, 73-75-71; Jared Isaacs, Hallandale, 75-71-73; Boomer Erick, Naples, 70-74-75; Larry Blanchard, Hollywood, 77-69-73; Victor Tortorici, Stuart, 74-71-74; Mike Dopslaff, Fort Myers, 76-73-70; Greg King, North Palm Beach, 71-73-75

220 — Steven Harrop, Palm City, 77-73-70; Bruce Zabriski, Jupiter, 77-74-69; Dean Prowse, Weston, 75-73-72; 221 — Tom Dyer, Palm Beach Gardens, 74-72-75; David Kent, Naples, 74-75-72; Edward Humenik, Palm City, 75-75-71; Chad Kurmel, Margate, 77-71-73; Eric Veilleux, Jupiter, 73-73-75; 222 — Ryan Garrity, Jupiter, 73-75-74

223 — Hal Jacobs, Pompano Beach, 73-79-71; Edward Segala, Coral Springs, 70-79-74; Peter Baxter, Bonita Springs, 74-76-73; a-Scott Turner, Stuart, 76-72-75; Thomas Mitchell, Estero, 75-76-72; 224 — Joe Allinder, Bonita Springs, 73-74-77; 225 — David Ragan, Coral Gables 69-81-75; Jason Gibson, Bonita Springs, 75-73-77; Michael Kostelnik, Lake Park, 77-73-75

226 — Chris Jensen, Bonita Springs, 76-74-76; Kenneth McMaster, Estero, 74-75-77; a-Mark McCabe, Naples, 75-75-76; Steve Waugh, Naples, 77-72-77; 227 — Matt Messer, Hobe Sound, 73-79-75; John Bungert, Pembroke Pines, 73-71-83; Scott Richardson, Lehigh Acres, 74-73-80; Michael Anderson, Delray Beach, 77-75-75; Matt Lucchesi, Hobe Sound, 77-75-75; 228 — Tommy Hilliard, Key Largo, 78-71-79; 229 — Christian Sheehan, Estero, 74-74-81; Bryan Berryman, Naples, 77-74-78; Ben Bryant, Naples, 77-74-78; 231 —Jeff Raimer, Naples, 77-75-79; 234 — Greg Richbourg, Tequesta, 76-75-83

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