Sports

Chilean pro golfer wins Alaska’s U.S. Open qualifying tourney

Horacio Leon, a 27-year-old pro golfer from Chile, scorched Palmer Golf Course on Wednesday to win Alaska's U.S. Open qualifying tournament.

Leon shrugged off challenging weather to card five birdies en route to a score of 67 on the par-72 course.

"That's a very, very low score," said Greg Sanders, rules chairman for the Alaska Golf Association. "The conditions were really windy and cold. It was a tough day, so 5-under par is a really good score."

The victory earned Leon a spot in next month's sectional tournament in Washington, where qualifiers will play for a berth in the U.S. Open.

Leon beat two-time state amateur champion Adam Baxter by six strokes and defending tournament champion Jordan Miller by seven strokes. Baxter and Miller are both amateurs from Anchorage.

Bill Engberg placed fourth with a 76, followed by Michael Oldenkamp (77) and Brad Ross (80).

One of the tournament's 12 entries was a no-show — Richard Sterne of South Africa, who is the 100th-ranked golfer in the world. While Sanders said it would have been nice to have such a highly ranked golfer in the field, the tournament enjoyed a stellar performance by Leon.

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"A 72 or 71 would normally had won this, but he beat everyone by a lot," Sanders said.

Leon, who lives in Jupiter, Florida, came to Alaska after winning the PGA Canada Tour's Q-School tournament, a four-day tournament in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where he carded rounds of 66, 68, 65 and 70.

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