Morgan Hoffman Earns $120,000 In Past Two Pro Events

PGA Tour rookie Morgan Hoffmann of Wyckoff, who won the 2005 NJSGA Junior championship, is playing the best golf of his short professional career.

Two weeks after his best finish in a PGA Tour event –T14 at the Puerto Rico Open - Hoffmann came within two strokes of his first Web.com Tour victory on Sunday, March 24.

Hoffmann, who shot 69-69-62-69-269, was runner-up by two strokes to fellow Oklahoma State alumnus, lefty Edward Loar, in the final round of the Chitiamacha Louisiana Open in Broussard, La.

The 6-foot Hoffmann, 23, earned $59,400 for the runner-up spot after garnering $61,259 at the Puerto Rico Open two weeks earlier. He is a graduate of Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes. He is exempt on the PGA Tour this season thanks to his 19th-place finish on last year’s Web.com Tour money list after having no exempt status in 2012.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself at the beginning of the year and it’s worn off,” Hoffmann said. “I’m just trying to go out there and play golf now and trust my game.”

Hoffmann, still seeking his first Web.com Tour victory, put the most pressure on Loar but knew he was going to need to make a final charge. He is 46th on the PGA Tour in driving distance.

“I told my caddie on the back nine that I knew he wasn’t going to make a lot of mistakes coming in,” he said. “He knows his game right now. He’s a great player and a great guy. He knows how to handle it and I congratulate him.”

Loar’s second three-putt came at No. 16 and cut his lead to two over fellow Oklahoma State alum Hoffmann, who was in search of his first career title. Loar, 35, bounced back on the par-3, 17th by knocking his 8-iron to 10 feet and canned the birdie putt to reestablish the lead at three.

“There were a few stressful holes out there,” admitted Loar, the father of triplets. “Most of it was as stress-free as it could be.”

Loar led by four strokes at the turn Sunday, but a bogey at No. 10 enabled Hoffman, who birdied the par-5 12thhole, creep within two shots. But Loar’s birdie at No. 12 helped him hang on to the victory.

Loar becomes the first left-handed player in Web.com Tour history to assume the No. 1 spot on the money list at any point in any season.