Ryan Moore couldn’t manage a fourth straight 6-under-par 65, but his 67 was good enough.
Moore played the last 46 holes without a bogey and built a five-stroke lead in the final round before winning the John Deere Classic by two strokes over Ben Martin at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.
“Every win is a little different,” said the former UNLV star, who won for the fifth time on the PGA Tour. “This one was … I liked how steady it was. This is the kind of golf that I feel like I can play. Just really solid, really steady. No bogeys on the weekend.
“It was very important to me to have a good front nine, make some birdies and show that I was here to play and post a good score. … To say at any point today I was comfortable would not be true. I know I got a four- or five-shot lead or something at some point. I actually wasn’t paying attention to that at all, but someone said that afterward.
” … I went out there this week and gave it my best and actually ended up on top. It’s a great feeling.”
Moore started fast with birdies on the second, fourth, ninth and 10th holes before closing with eight straight pars for a 22-under total of 262.
Martin, who closed to within one stroke of Moore with a 62 in the third round, finished with a 68, while Morgan Hoffman, who also had a 62 in round three, shot had a 71 and was five shots back in a tie for third with Whee Kim of South Korea, who finished at 67.
Ricky Barnes of Stockton, the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion, carded a 67 and was seven strokes down in a tie for fifth with Kelly Kraft, who totaled 69, and Johnson Wagner, who came in at 70.
Kevin Na of Diamond Bar posted a 67 to wind up eight strokes back in a tie for eighth with Adam Hadwin (64) of Canada, Andrew Landry (67), Steve Marino (69), 36-hole leader Wesley Bryan (70) and Bud Cauley (69).
Bryan earned his PGA Tour card last week with his third victory this season on the We.com Tour.
NCAA champion Aaron Wise of Oregon, from Lake Elsinore, followed his third-round 63 with a 70 to tie for 16th in his PGA Tour debut as a pro after winning on the PGA Tour Canada two weeks ago.
