Southport, NC – Three-time Canadian Amateur champion Richard Scott of St. Simons Island, GA carded a final-round 70 to claim a one-shot victory over former University of Georgia teammate Brian Harman in the eGolf Tour's inaugural Championship at St. James Plantation, in turn collecting the second win of his eGolf Tour career.

Scott began the final round on the P.B. Dye-designed Founders Club course at St. James in a tie for the 54-hole lead with 18- and 36-hole leader Jeremy Pope of Pawleys Island, SC. Through nine holes of play in the final round, Scott had managed to open a one-shot cushion on Pope and playing partner Martin Ureta thanks in part to a 1-under 35 on the outward nine.

"The front was playing a lot easier today," said Scott. "The last three holes on that side were downwind, so you could finally make some birdies, whereas you really couldn't the last few days into the wind."

Brian HarmanWith nine holes to play in the $222,951 event, Scott immediately stepped on the accelerator with birdies at Nos. 10 and 11 to move three shots clear of both Pope and Ureta.

"On the back nine, the wind really picked up. I was just trying to make a few birdies, give myself chances and hit some greens," Scott said, referencing the coastal winds that caused havoc for the 194-player field all week long.

With a bit of a cushion and seven holes to play, Scott would run into a familiar face on the closing nine.

Making a move from slightly further back in the pack was two-time Walker Cup player Brian Harman of St. Simons Island, GA. Harman, who was a teammate of Scott's on the 2005-2006 University of Georgia golf team, had overcome a bogey at the par-3 fifth with birdies at Nos. 6, 8, 11 and 14 to move up to 6-under for the event and in a tie for second place with Pope and Ureta.

"I saw that someone was making a move out there on the leaderboard, but I honestly didn't realize it was Harman," said Scott, who briefly glanced at the scoreboard on No. 15.

After a bogey at 15, Scott came to the tee of the watery par-3 16th with a one shot lead over Harman, who had just birdied the par-4 18th to post 7-under 281 in the clubhouse. While short on the card, the downhill par-3 is susceptible to the high winds that are native to the area and were blowing straight into the players on Saturday.

"It was a pretty good club for me at 142 yards on 16," said Scott. "It was a perfect 7-iron into that wind and I didn't have to flight it all that much, I just had to strike it solid and let the wind do the work."

A flawless 7-iron to 20 feet set up what would be a "huge birdie" for Scott and would create a two-shot advantage with just two holes to play. Unfortunately, those two holes were 17 and 18 at the diabolical Founders Club course that was formerly known at "The Gauntlet" for obvious reasons.

Both holes feature expansive marsh to the right and ponds to the left, the latter of which forced Scott to hit a 3-wood off the tee on No. 17, in turn laying well back of the green. A 6-iron was slapped down by the wind and left him a rather lengthy birdie attempt on a green that resembles the Himalayas more than an actual putting surface.

Scott's chip shot would come up 8-10 feet short, and after his par putt slid past the hole, his lead was down to one with just one hole left.

A perfect tee shot on the downwind 18th would set up a short wedge shot for Scott.

"I hit a good wedge, it just never bit," said Scott, referring to a lob wedge that wound up behind the hole on the back fringe. "My first putt was decent, it just got away from me."

With just two putts needed to win, and a large gallery looking on, Scott's birdie try raced five feet past the hole and set up the ultimate pressure cooker for the win.

"It was a little nerve racking, but what can you do? You just have to hit your putt and hope it goes in."

With hope on his side, Scott calmly drained the winning par putt, in turn collecting his first eGolf Tour title since the 2007 Championship at Walnut Creek with a 72-hole total of 8-under 280.

For the win, Scott collected $32,551 and moved up to No. 4 on the 2010 money list. The soft-spoken Scott was quick to thank the members and residents of St. James Plantation, who erupted into applause after the winning putt went in.

"The crowds were great. It reminded me of playing in some Nationwide Tour events," Scott said after his round. "It's amazing here at St. James – these courses are great. The people came out and watched, they volunteered. It was a great week and a lot of fun to be here."

For Scott, the win ended a bit of a drought over the past year. Following a standout amateur career that saw him collect three Canadian Amateur trophies and an NCAA Championship, a lot was expected of one of the most highly touted amateurs after he turned professional. While a few wins came early on, something seemed to be missing over the last year.

Jason Kokrak"I've been hitting the ball really well this year, I had a good finish in Charlotte a few months ago," said Scott. "I was just struggling with my putter a bit. This week, I managed to eliminate the mistakes with my putter. When you can eliminate three putts that makes a big difference."

It seemed as though the win quickly restored a bit of swagger to Scott's stride, and he immediately spoke of the ensuing confidence that his week at St. James would provide.

"I think anytime you win, it's a huge boost of confidence. Like Tiger said in his press conference the other day, talking about Fred Couples, he said ‘it doesn't matter where you win, the confidence from winning is huge.'"

With his runner-up finish, Harman earned $16,184 and moved up to No. 3 on the tour's money list with earnings of $42,910. In five starts thus far in 2010, the former No. 1-ranked amateur in the world has four top-7 finishes.

Finishing in solo third was Jason Kokrak of Warren, OH. Kokrak, the tour's leading money winner, is just three weeks removed from claiming his first tour title at the Cabarrus Classic in March. The former Xavier University standout birdied the par-5 14th to move to 7-under for the tournament, but suffered bogeys at 16 and 17 to drop back to 5-under, where he would eventually finish three shots shy of Scott. He earned $12,931 for his efforts in Southport.

Kokrak has a nearly $14,000 lead on the 2010 money race with $57,305 earnings through five of the tour's 18 events. At the conclusion of the Tour Championship in August, the top 20 members on the money list will have their entries into 2010 PGA TOUR Q-School paid for by eGolf.

Pope, who wound up carding a final-round 74, finished in solo fourth and earned $9,364 on the week. The finish was his best on the eGolf Tour since a third-place finish at the 2009 Walnut Creek Championship last May.

Scott Weatherly, Tommy Rymer and Martin Ureta each tied for fifth at 3-under 285, earning $7,283 each for their play.

• A special thanks goes to the members of The Clubs at St. James Plantation for allowing the tour to use their fantastic facilities for the week, and for providing such excellent volunteer help and fan support. The tour would also like to thank St. James Director of Operations Dave Flinchbaugh, Founders Club Head Golf Professional Brian Walker, Reserve Club Head Golf Professional Barry Walters, and their respective staffs for their help in arranging this tournament and assisting the tour during the week. Both courses presented some of the best putting surfaces in the southeast this week. The tour is only as good as the golf courses we play, so thank you to Director of Agronomy Conrad Broussard, Founders Club Golf Course Superintendent Dockery Steed, Reserve Club Golf Course Superintendent David Blasingame, and their crews for offering two fantastic venues and working around the clock to assist the tour staff with their respective courses.
• The tour will take the next two weeks off before beginning a two-week stretch in the greater Charlotte area with the River Hills Classic on April 28-May 1 and the Cowans Ford Open on May 5-8.

Jeremy Pope hitting his approach shot into 18

The gallery behind the 18th green as Richard Scott makes the winning putt.