Ryan Brehm (1st, -20) began the final round of the Puerto Rico Open with a three-stroke lead, which he extended to four at the turn with birdies at Nos. 1, 5 and 9, where he holed a 35-foot putt.
Started the back nine birdie-birdie to stretch his lead to seven before closing with seven straight pars to win by six.
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Made just one bogey (No. 14/R3) en route to becoming the seventh first-time winner this season.
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Wins first PGA Tour title in 68th start at 35 years, 11 months, 1 day while playing his final event on a Minor Medical Extension.
His one and only Minor Medical start was granted after being forced to withdraw from the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans when he tested positive for COVID-19 in advance of that event.
His illness kept him from competing on a regular basis in PGA Tour events for fewer than four months, therefore his eligibility category allowed for one (1) ‘available tournament’ on a Minor Medical in the 2021-22 season for the event that he missed in the 2020-21 season (Zurich Classic).
Victory this week satisfies Minor Medical Extension and earns full exempt status for the remainder of this season, plus the next two seasons; also earns 300 FedExCup points, a spot in the field at this week’s PLAYERS Championship and exemptions into 2022 PGA Championship and 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Joins Viktor Hovland (2020) as the only player since 2014 to convert 54-hole lead/co-lead into victory at Puerto Rico Open; becomes seventh third-round leader/co-leader to win in 2021-22 season.
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Claims title by a tournament-record six-stroke margin (previous, 3 strokes/Martin Trainer/2019) and the largest winning margin this season.
Having entered the week No. 773 in the Official World Golf Ranking, becomes lowest-ranked player to win on Tour since Jim Herman at 2019 Barbasol Championship (No. 1252).
Before this win, his best result of three top-25s on TOUR was T11 at 2021 Puerto Rico Open where he posted 68-71-69-67—275 (-13).
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Owns two Korn Ferry Tour titles: 2016 WinCo Foods Portland Open, 2019 LECOM Health Challenge.
Finished T9 at Astara Golf Championship in Colombia last month, his first top-10 on the Korn Ferry Tour since August 2019.
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With his wife, Chelsey, as his caddie this week, win marks the first time a wife has caddied for a victorious husband since Justine and Patrick Reed at the 2013 Wyndham Championship.
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