KEY POINTS:
New Zealand golfer Tim Wilkinson earned the biggest pay cheque of his career when finishing in a tie for sixth in the Puerto Rico Open.
The Palmerston North left-hander improved four places on the leaderboard with a round of three-under 69 which featured birdies at his last two holes at Rio Grande.
He ended on 11-under 277, three shots behind the winner, American Greg Kraft, to earn a cheque for US$117,250 ($147,968).
Wilkinson stumbled early with a bogey five at the fourth hole before getting a shot back at the next ahead of birdies at the 10th and 12th, which sandwiched a bogey on the par-three 11th.
It was Wilkinson's first top-10 result in his rookie season on the PGA Tour, which has to date seen him make four of seven cuts.
It lifted his tour income this season to $US211,108, promoting him from 134th to 100th on the tour's moneylist.
With the tour's leading players otherwise engaged in the WGC-CA Championship in Florida, the Puerto Rico field was not the deepest, although the tournament still carried a purse of US$3.5 million.
Kraft's share of that was US$650,000, more than he's made on the PGA Tour since 2003.
Along with the fat cheque Kraft also earned his tour playing privileges through 2010 after closing with a round of 70 to leave him one clear of fellow Americans Jerry Kelly and Bo Van Pelt.
Kelly shot 70 today and Van Pelt 72 while Briny Baird managed 72 and Kevin Stadler 67.
- NZPA
