Former University of Colorado golfer Jeremy Paul started the PGA Tour Latinoamerica season on a high note Sunday by tying for ninth place in the Guatemala Stella Artois Open.
The German, who earned conditional status on the Latinoamerica circuit earlier this year, birdied two of his last four holes in the final round — both par-5s — to shoot a 1-under-par 71.
The 23-year-old (pictured) carded scores of 69-70-65 the first three days and finished at 13-under-par 275, ending up seven behind champion Ben Polland and earning $4,725. Paul made eight birdies in Saturday’s 65.
Paul, who turned pro last April and owns the best career scoring average in CU golf history (71.7), played 12 events as a rookie on the Web.com Tour last year, making four cuts with a best finish of 27th. He missed advancing to the second stage of Web.com Q-school by one stroke in the fall.
In January, Paul posted his first professional victory, winning the Pro Golf Tour’s Red Sea Ain Sokhna Classic in Egypt. The Pro Golf Tour is a satellite circuit that feeds the European Challenge Tour.
Elsewhere in professional tour golf on Sunday, Becca Huffer of Denver made a hole-in-one in the final round and finished 14th in the Symetra Tour’s season-opening Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in Winter Haven, Fla. The former CoBank Colorado Women’s Open champion went 71-78-66 for a 1-under-par 215 total, which put her nine strokes behind winner Lauren Kim.
Huffer aced the 183-yard 17th hole with a 4-iron on Sunday and added a birdie on No. 18 to close her round. For the day, she made one eagle, five birdies and a bogey.
