Ted Potter Jr. looked Dustin Johnson in the eye and didn’t blink.
The 34-year-old Potter, who missed nearly two seasons because of a right broken ankle sustained in 2014, shot 3-under-par 69 while playing alongside the top-ranked Johnson to win by three strokes over DJ, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day of Australia and Chez Reavie at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
“It’s definitely pleasing,” said an emotional Potter, whose only previous victory came in the 2012 Greenbrier Classic. “It was a struggle there (coming back from his broken ankle). It’s unbelievable right now. To get my second career win after five years away from it. Going back to the Masters is going to be another dream come true. This has just been a blast this week.
“I knew everyone thought Dustin was going to win. I was the underdog, what did I have to lose? All I could do was try and grind as hard as I can and I just hit a lot of quality shots to small targets when I had to on the back nine, when the pressure was on.”
Potter, who won 15 times on the mini-tours and twice on what his now the Web.com Tour, finished at 17-under 270.
Johnson, who won in 2009 and 2010 at Pebble, shot 72 and recorded his eighth top-10 finish in the tournament, while four-time Pebble Beach winner Mickelson shot 67, 10th-ranked Day finished at 70 and Reavie closed with a 68 a week after he lost in a playoff to Gary Woodland in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Kevin Streelman, who led after a first-round 65, was four shots back in fifth after a 70, followed one another shot by Scott Stallings, who posted a bogey-free 66.
Kevin Chappell of Fresno and UCLA shot 67 to wind up seven strokes down in a tie for eighth with Patrick Rodgers (73) of Stanford, Grayson Murray (66), Paul Casey (70) of England, Jimmy Walker (67), Brian Gay (71) and Troy Merritt (74).
Third-ranked Jordan Spieth tied for 20th after a 71 and second-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain tied for 26th following a 76.
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