SANTIAGO, CHILE—Trailing final-group pairing partner Conner Godsey by two shots with one hole left to play, Matt Ryan recorded an impressive eagle and then saw Godsey miss a four-footer for par that lifted Ryan to a dramatic one-shot win at the Scotia Wealth Management Chile Open presented by Volvo. The three-shot swing at the last left Ryan winning at 10-under and Godsey finishing solo second, at 9-under. Ryan and Godsey, a duo of lefties from the United States, had entered the day in a tie for the lead.

Chile’s Cristóbal Del Solar had a double bogey at the last to drop out of contention. He finished solo third in his quest to win for a second consecutive week. The champion a week ago in Neuquén, Del Solar earned enough points to charge into the first spot on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s season-long race for the Totalplay Cup.

Carding a final-round-low 67, Chris Crawford of the U.S. joined Toni Hakula of Finland in a tie for fourth, at 6-under. Another shot behind, the Argentine duo of Leandro Marelli and Jorge Fernández Valdés tied for sixth.

“I didn’t expect to lead after the first round, and I didn’t expect to win at 10-under. I just kind of battled through all day, and making eagle at the last was pretty cool,” said the 36-year-old from California of his surprising victory at Hacienda Chicureo Club.

Making his first birdie on No. 3, where despite hitting a ball in the water he chipped in for birdie, Godsey cruised on the front nine. In addition to the birdie at the third, he added birdies on Nos. 4, 5, 7 and 9 to open a three-shot lead, at 13-under.

“Conner played so well on the front,” said Ryan of his opponent’s stellar play early in the day. “It just felt like it was going to be his day, to be completely honest. He played great.”

The 30-year-old Godsey lost his pace on the back nine, where he didn’t record a single birdie. After bogeys on Nos. 11, 14 and 15, he and Ryan reached the last hole separated by only two shots.

Coming off a short putt miss on 17, Ryan was quite frustrated heading into the last, but a friend got him back on track on his way to the 18th tee. “He was like, ‘Hey, two good shots here’ and that kind of got me just moving on from the missed putt at 17. I striped it down the middle, probably the best drive of the day, and then I hit my best iron of the week, probably the best shot of the week,” he said of an impressive 250-yard 2-iron approach shot that he hit within 12 feet at the demanding 563-yard par 5 18th.

After Ryan drained his eagle putt at the last, Godsey missed a four-footer that would have extended the tournament into a playoff. “(It) just caught me off guard, really,” said Ryan of his unlikely comeback win.

Winning the first and the last tournament in the calendar year across two different seasons, Ryan is now a two-time PGA TOUR Latinoamérica champion. His Estrella del Mar Open win in February led him to a 17th-place finish on the 2022-21 Totalplay Cup standings, while Sunday’s win places him third in the race for the 2022-23 Totalplay Cup.

Having reached the final stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament last month, Ryan is a 2023 Korn Ferry Tour member. However, his tie for 74th at the event means conditional status only and no guaranteed starts. “Maybe this (win) helps me get a sponsor spot on the Korn Ferry Tour. I’ve been writing letters to tournament directors, and I think that if I can get in, my game is in a good place,” he said hoping for some good fortune in the year ahead.

Following this event, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica will observe a 12-week break, the season resuming in March 2022, with three consecutive tournaments in Argentina and Brazil. The 12-event season will culminate in July.

Key Information

Earning 190 Totalplay Cup Points with his solo third-place finish, Chile’s Cristóbal Del Solar closes the calendar year atop the Totalplay Cup Points List. With a total of 711 points earned through the first three events of the season, he moved 111 points ahead of Sweden’s Linus Lilliedahl, who missed the cut this week after back-to-back runner-up finishes. The following are the players inside the Totalplay Cup standings top 10 through the Tour’s visit to Chile:

At 7-under, Cristóbal Del Solar was also the top Chilean on the final leaderboard. Here’s a look at the other Chile natives who made it through to the weekend in their national open:

The week began with eight amateurs in the field—all from Chile. Two made the cut, with Facundo Moraga winning the battle for low-amateur honors over Cristóbal Sepulveda. Carding a 1-under 71 Sunday, Moraga tied for 30th, at 1-over, while Sepulveda closed with a 74 to tie for 49th, at 3-over.

The low-round-of-the-day was shared by Chris Crawford and Peter Gasperini of the United States, both carding 5-under 67s. Going bogey-free Sunday, Crawford gained 23 spots to tie for fourth, while Gasperini moved up 34 spots into a tie for 14th.

Final-Round Weather: Sunny and warm, with a high of 90. Wind SSW at 12-15 mph, with gusts to 27 mph.