Points uses nine birdies to win Puerto Rico Open

(Reuters) - American journeyman D.A. Points reaped the benefits of a recent switch to a cross-handed putting style, rolling in nine birdies on his way to a two-stroke victory at the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday. Points made a blazing start to the final round with five successive birdies, and also birdied four of the last six holes, carding six-under-par 66 despite three mid-round bogeys on the Coco Beach course in Rio Grande. He finished at 20-under 268, while South African Retief Goosen stormed home with a 64 to tie for second with Americans Bryson DeChambeau (67) and Bill Lunde (68) on 18-under. Overnight leader Chris Stroud proved prescient in his prediction of a winning score of at least 20-under, but was not the man to post that number, carding 71 to finish four shots behind. It is the third PGA Tour victory for 40-year-old Points, after Pebble Beach in 2011 and Houston in 2013. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Gene Cherry)