'Wow!' Ex-Michigan State golfer Ryan Brehm earns PGA Tour card

Former Michigan State golfer Ryan Brehm is heading to the PGA Tour.

The 30-year-old former Mr. Golf from Mt. Pleasant High, earned his first promotion to the PGA Tour on Sunday, with a victory on the Web.com Tour’s regular-season finale in North Plains, Ore.

Brehm shot a three-under-par 68 at the WinCo Foods Portland Open for a one-shot win over Mark Anderson. He earned $144,000 for the win, which vaulted him from No. 30 on the Web.com’s money list to No. 4. The top 25 after Sunday earned PGA Tour cards.

“It’s been a wave of emotions all day,” Brehm told the Web.com Tour. “Everything from thinking 20 years in the future to trying to zone in to exactly what you’re doing on the course. I’m just thrilled. I’m thrilled to be in this position. What a week! Wow!”

Brehm, who lives in Traverse City with his wife, Chelsey, was the Big Ten freshman of the year in 2004. He won five college tournaments and helped lead the Spartans to conference titles in ’04, ’06 and ’07. He still holds the MSU record for career scoring average (73.26). In 2005, he was the first amateur since 1966 to make the cut at the PGA Tour’s Buick Open in Grand Blanc.

Brehm began Sunday's final tied for the lead with C.T. Pan. But he made two bogeys by the fifth hole and dropped a shot back. He birdied the next three holes and took sole possession of the lead with birdies on the 10th, 14th and 15th holes.

“Well, I was nervous early,” he told the Web.com Tour. “Then, surprisingly, I felt a calm midway through the round. I started hitting a few good shots and was getting some looks. I managed to make a few here and there that kept the momentum rolling. After I made a few putts, it started to really hit me. I felt calm. I can’t explain it.”

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Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.