BY DENNIS CHASE
dchase@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY — Randy Hutchison finished what he started.
The former Traverse City Central standout shot a 2-under 69 Sunday in the final round of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill.
Hutchison, who won a qualifier to gain entry, shot rounds of 68, 68, 71 and 69 for an 8-under 276. That was 12 shots behind Zach Johnson and Troy Matteson. Johnson won the tournament on the second playoff hole.
As for Hutchison, he closed with a bogey-free round to earn a check for $12,461.
"Anytime you can go out on a Sunday and not make a bogey is always a good thing," he said. "I only made a couple birdies, but overall it was a pretty good day."
Hutchison's two birdies came on the 8th and 10th holes.
It was Hutchison's second PGA Tour event. The other was the 2009 Buick Open. Hutchison said what he learned from that experience helped over the weekend. The key, he said, was to stay relaxed.
"The Buick Open was only my second tournament as a professional, so I was out of my element for a little while," he said. "I took that experience and carried it into this week. I tried to slow myself down. I was anxious for awhile, but I know if I'm playing well I can come out and compete with these guys day in and day out. The next step is to get to that level (of consistency)."
His most anxious moment was on the first day.
"I was pretty relaxed most of the week except for the first tee box Thursday," he said. "I didn't have a lot of nervousness. I was just anxious. I wanted to get that first tee shot out of the way and get the tournament rolling."
At one point Saturday, Hutchison was at 10-under.
"I was 4-under through five holes Saturday, but I gave it back," he said. "At that point, I was probably right around the top 10. But I had four bogeys coming in."
Hutchison's brother, Sean, was his caddie. So did he tip him well afterwards?
"He'll get 10 percent, so yes," he said, laughing.
