2014 Zurich Classic results: Seung-yul Noh gets first career win in New Orleans

Seung-yul Noh became the sixth first-time winner of the 2013-14 PGA Tour season and just the 5th Korean-born player to win on the PGA Tour by cruising Sunday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Noh turned pro at the age of 16, so he’s been around for a bit, but at just 22, this could be the first of multiple wins on the tour stateside.

Noh joins K.J. Choi, Y.E. Yang, Kevin Na, and Sang-Moon Bae as Korean winners on the PGA Tour, with Choi serving as the godfather of the group with eight total victories. But much like Bae last year at the Byron Nelson, Noh’s win is another sign of the up-and-coming crop of Korean players who should be forces for years to come on the Tour. The win also comes just days after Noh came over for Korea, his native country still in mourning from the ferry tragedy. He wore a ribbon on his cap all week to honor those lost back home.

Noh had won twice on the Asian Tour, and won a Euro Tour event in Malaysia in 2010, but this is definitely the biggest victory of his career. It earns him his first berth into the Masters, and locks up invites to several more tournaments this year, including the season’s final major at Valhalla.

Remarkably, Noh played the first 54 holes at TPC Louisiana without a bogey. That streak ended early on Sunday, at his very first hole of the final round. But he’d settle in on a brutally windy day outside NOLA to come to the 18th tee with a three-shot lead. He was up-and-down on the back nine, but on the two separate times he made a bogey, he answered with a birdie on the very next hole. The emotionless approach pushed him through the final round as much of the rest of the field went wild in the blustery Louisiana winds. Noh is now the youngest winner of the season on Tour, and his talent ensures we’ll hear from him again, and at bigger events soon.

The future appeal of Sunday’s winner aside, this year’s Zurich Classic definitely lacked the buzz of past years and comparable tournaments this season. The first page of the leaderboard was often occupied by players deep down the world rankings, and despite the spate of course records set early in the week, there was little drama on the weekend. Keegan Bradley was the biggest name to emerge with a shot at winning, but the former PGA Champion had no rhythm on Sunday and dropped down the leaderboard to a T8 finish with a 3-over round of 75.

Noh’s a great story, and another young name to add to the amazing group at 25 and under, but here’s hoping for a rebound tourney at the Wells Fargo next week. Quail Hollow is annually one of the best non-major tracks of the season.

Here are the full results from the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans: