PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. –Kirk Hanefeld, PGA (Lifetime Member) finished the final round of the 53rd Professional National Championship at 78, finishing with a four-day score of 296 and tie for 67th place.
RELATED LINKS: PNC HOMEPAGE | FINAL LEADERBOARD
Hanefeld fired rounds of 72 and 73 to make the initial 90-player cut by a shot at two-over par alongside New England professional Bob Bruso (Blackstone National GC). In round three, Hanefeld remained consistent, carding a second-straight 73 to move onto the final day in a tie for 40th at +3.
The 2013 NEPGA Hall-of-Fame inductee posted 13 pars and a birdie in the fourth round today, but a pair of bogies along with a double bogey and triple bogey pushed his score to 78 for his total of 296.
Over the four-day Championship, Hanefeld carded 57 pars, five birdies, seven bogies, two double bogeys, and one triple bogey. The Champions Tour veteran previously qualified for the PGA Championship in 1990 and 2013, and this year came within eight shots of doing so again.
Omar Uresti, who held a commanding lead at 15-under par after the third round, posted two bogies and a double bogey in the first four holes but steadied and remained even for the remainder of the round and winning the tournament at -11. Frank Bensel Jr., the leader after his first round 65, posted a final round score of 68 to finish the Championship at eight-under par.