Andres Gonzales completed a wire-to-wire victory Sunday in the Soboba Golf Classic, beating Andrew Svoboda by two strokes for his first Nationwide Tour title.
Gonzales closed with an even-par 71 to finish at 8-under 276 on The Country Club at Soboda Springs. The 28-year-old former UNLV player earned $135,000.
Last September at Soboda Springs, Gonzales lost to Ted Potter Jr. in a playoff.
''I'm overjoyed right now,'' said Gonzales, the first start-to-finish winner on the tour since 2008. ''Last year, was tough, coming in here and losing a playoff. I'm happy I got a little bit of revenge this year.''
Svoboda also shot a 71. Alistair Presnell and Michael Letzig tied for third at 5 under. Presnell had a 68, and Letzig finished with a 70.
Svoboda eagled the par-5 sixth hole to take the lead, but bogeyed Nos. 10, 11 and 13, leaving Gonzales with a four-shot advantage midway through the back nine.
''I stuck with the same thing I was doing all week and that meant controlling what I could control,'' said Gonzales, from Olympia, Wash. ''It also meant not looking at leaderboards until it came down to crunch time.''
Gonzales, second in the season-opening Colombia Championship, leads the money list with $195,810. The top 25 at the end of the season will earn 2013 PGA Tour cards.
''I was nervous today because I knew if I won this one I'd have a pretty good chance of getting back on the PGA Tour,'' said Gonzales, 192nd on the PGA Tour money list last year.
