Coles edges Hughes by one at Nationwide event
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Gavin Coles fired his second straight 68 Sunday to claim his third Nationwide Tour title, beating fellow Australian Bradley Hughes by a stroke at the Legend Financial Group Classic.
Coles, 37, had five birdies and two bogies, with birdie putts of 20, 30 and 40 feet on the back nine that helped him to a 10-under 274 and the $90,000 purse. It was his third Nationwide win and his first in the U.S.
Hughes led Coles by three strokes after three rounds on the par-71, 7,060-yard course at StoneWater Golf Club outside Cleveland. But he three-putted from the fringe on No. 16 and missed an 8-footer that would have forced a playoff.
"I don't really know what happened. I hit the ball close, but none of them would go in," Hughes said.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
