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Noh Seung-yul earns first PGA Tour win

April 28, 2014

Captures the Zurich Classic in New Orleans

South Korean golfers Y.E. Yang, left, and Charlie Wi, center, douse Noh Seung-yul, right, with beer on the 18th green after Noh won the Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2014.(AP Photo/Bill Haber)

“Hopefully, they’ll be happy,” said Noh Seung-yul, who wore black and yellow ribbons on his white golf hat to honor victims of the ferry accident, after earning his first career PGA Tour victory in New Orleans on Sunday.

Noh overcame windy conditions and the pressure that goes with attempting to secure a maiden PGA Tour triumph, shooting a 1-under 71 in the final round to win the Zurich Classic by two shots over Andrew Svoboda and Robert Streb.

Noh Seung-yul, of South Korea, holds up his trophy with tournament officials after winning the Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 27, 2014. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Noh finished at 19-under 269 to pick up the winner’s check of $1.22 million.

A month shy of his 23rd birthday, Noh is the youngest PGA Tour winner in 2014.

In 2002, K.J. Choi earned his first PGA Tour win at this tournament, when it was called the Compaq Classic.

Noh opened the final round with his first bogey of the tournament, and briefly fell into a tie with Keegan Bradley, but it was the 2011 PGA Championship winner who cracked first, with a triple-bogey on the sixth hole.

Noh picked up birdies on 8^th and 10^th, then traded two birdies with two bogeys the rest of the way to give South Koreans something positive to think about.

Noh made his PGA Tour debut in 2012, after putting in time on the Asian Tour. He was named the Rookie of the Year on the Asian Tour in 2008 and won the money title there in 2011. In 2010, Noh captured the Maybank Malaysian Open, co-sanctioned by the Asian and the European Tours, and became the second-youngest winner on the European Tour at 18 years and 282 days.

Noh finished 49th on the PGA Tour money list in 2012 to retain his playing card for the following year. In 2013, however, he slipped to 153rd on the money list but won an event on the second-tier Web.com Tour to earn his PGA Tour playing privileges for 2014.

The Zurich Classic win gives Noh an exemption through the 2015-2016 PGA Tour season. He has also earned invitations to the PGA Championship this year and the Masters next year, as well as The Players Championship, called the “fifth major,” early next month.