Oppenheim rallies to win Air Capital Classic

Jun 29, 2015 - 12:23 AM Wichita, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Rob Oppenheim fired a 6-under 64 in Sunday's final round and rallied to win the Air Capital Classic.

Oppenheim, who won for the first time on the Web.com Tour, ended at 13-under- par 267 at Crestview Country Club.

"You never know out here. It's a lot less pressure and definitely easier playing from where I was than being in the lead," Oppenheim said. "The leaders don't want to make mistakes and I'm just firing at pins and trying to go as low as I can."

Third-round leader Andy Winings bogeyed the final hole to end one back at minus-12. He closed with a 1-over 71.

Rhein Gibson (65) and Nicolas Lindheim (70) shared third place at 11-under-par 269. Darron Stiles fired a 65 to soar into fifth place at minus-10.

Rod Pampling (69), Dawie van der Walt (70) and Bronson Burgoon (68) tied for sixth at 9-under-par 271.

Lindheim got off to a quick start with birdies at one and two to join Winings atop the leaderboard at 13-under. However, Lindheim had 14 pars and two bogeys the rest of the way to end two back.

Winings opened with six pars in a row, then dropped a shot at seven. He and Lindheim were tied at 12-under at the time. Winings came right back with a birdie at eight.

Around the turn, Winings poured in a 60-footer for birdie at the 10th to move to 14-under, where he led Oppenheim by one.

Oppenheim, who was seven groups ahead of Winings, had a birdie and five pars in his first six holes. After pars at nine and 10, Oppenheim rolled in a birdie at 11. He jumped to 13-under with an eagle at the par-5 14th.

Winings bogeyed the 12th to fall into a share of the lead with Lindheim. He also dropped a shot at 13 to slip one back.

Oppenheim followed his eagle with four pars in a row, then waited to see what Winings would do.

"It was pretty much put my head down and go," said Oppenheim. "I did the best job, maybe of my career, of being focused and trying to make birdies, not look at the leaderboard. I think I fall too much into looking at the board and where I finish. Sometimes it doesn't help."

Winings came back from his bogeys with a birdie at 14 to regain a share of the lead. After three pars in a row, Winings faltered to bogey at the last to hand Oppenheim the title.

"That birdie putt at 17 was how my whole day went. I hit a good putt and it didn't go in. I didn't make anything. I didn't hole the putts today that I've been making all week. That's really the factor," Winings admitted. "My ball was sitting way up (on 18) and I caught it high on the face and it came up short of the green. I mis-hit my chip and mis-hit my putt, so there was a lot of mis-hitting going on."

NOTES: Oppenheim picked up $108,000 for the victory ... His six-stroke comeback matched the biggest in tournament history ... The tour heads to Canada next week for the Nova Scotia Open, where Roger Sloan won last year.