Hodges Earns First Title At WinCo Foods Portland Open Presented By KraftHeinz
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2020-08-10
By PRESTON SMITH, PGATOUR.COM
NORTH PLAINS, Oregon – A year ago at the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz, Lee Hodges got up and down for birdie from just short of the 18th green to “keep his job.” He finished 73rd in the points standings, knowing the top 75 retain their Korn Ferry Tour status for the following year, when a par would have left him on the outside looking in.
Hodges again got up and down for birdie from just shy of the 18th, this time for his first Korn Ferry Tour victory and a spot in the 2020 U.S. Open.
“It was pretty emotional down the stretch, I just tried to keep it together,” said Hodges. “It has not sunk in yet. It probably won’t sink in today, maybe tomorrow. It’s special. You look back on it and you see how hard you fought and it’s pretty cool. I didn’t feel like I had my best game this week, obviously I played well, but I didn’t feel like I was clicking on all cylinders. To get a win while doing that, that’s special.”