LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) -- Adam Long bounced around golf's backwoods for years, winning only a lone Hooters Tour event. Now, he's headed to the Masters as a PGA Tour winner.
Long, a former Duke University golfer who graduated in 2010, won the Desert Classic on Sunday at PGA West, beating Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson and Adam Hadwin by a stroke with a 14-foot birdie putt on the final hole after a 6-iron approach from an awkward stance.
"In some ways it's been a little bit of a roller-coaster, but it's been a steady improvement throughout my career," Long said.