Martin Piller wins Web.com Tour’s Boise Open

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Martin Piller completed a wire-to-wire victory Sunday in the Albertsons Boise Open for his fourth Web.com Tour title.

Piller shot a 4-under 67 at Hillcrest Country Club for a 28-under 256 total, the second-lowest 72-hole score in Web.com Tour history and the third-best mark in relation to par.

“It means everything. The last couple of years have been tough,” Piller said. “I think this validates that if I play good I can be in contention.”

Steve Wheatcroft set the tour record of 255 in the 2011 Prince George’s County Open, finishing at 29 under, and Daniel Chopra was 30 under on a par-72 course in the 2004 Henrico County Open.

Piller broke the tournament mark of 24-under 260 set last year by playoff winner Wheatcroft and Steven Alker. The 29-year-old Dallas player won by six strokes to tie the event record set by Tim Clark in 2000 and matched by Roger Tambellini in 2003.

Piller earned $144,000 to jump from 52nd to fourth on the money list with $198,852, enough to earn a PGA Tour card next season. He played the PGA Tour in 2011.

“Sometimes you think, ‘Will I ever get back to the PGA Tour,” Piller said. “The fact that this happened, it gives me certainly a lot of confidence and belief that when I do play well I can be in contention and win tournaments.”

His wife, Gerina Piller, is an LPGA Tour player.

“The first thing I thought about was my wife and just the way she supported me all these years,” Piller said. “That’s what I was thinking about mostly when I was walking up 18.”

The former Texas A&M star opened with rounds of 61, 63 and 65 to break the 54-hole record at 189 and match the mark for relation to par at 24 under.

On Sunday, Piller birdied the par-4 first and holed out for eagle from a greenside bunker on the par-5 second. He parred the next 10 holes, bogeyed the par-3 13th, got back the stroke with a birdie on the par-4 15th and hit a wedge to 2 1/2 feet for a birdie on the par-3 17th.

“I pured it,” Piller said about his bunker shot on No. 2. “I hit it just the way I wanted to.”

Argentina’s Jorge Fernandez-Valdes shot a 68 to finish second.

Cody Gribble and Jin Park tied for third at 21 under. Gribble had a 62, the best round of the day, and Park shot a 67.

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