PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — With one last birdie, Brandt Snedeker finally had a chance to catch his breath at one of the best places in golf.

He was on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach with a threeshot lead Sunday as he gazed into the sun at an endless ocean and tried to grasp just how far he has come in the past few months.

There was that big win at the Tour Championship to claim the $10 million prize as the FedEx Cup champion.

He played in his first Ryder Cup.

In his past nine tournaments, he has six finishes in the top three, including backto back weeks as the runnerup to Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

He was the best all week at Pebble Beach, finishing at 19- under 267 to break by one shot the tournament record. Mickelson (2007) and Mark O’Meara (1997) each had a 20- under 268 when Poppy Hills was still in the rotation.

Snedeker built his lead in the final round by playing the opening seven holes in 5 under, fired at the flag on the par-3 17th to set up his last birdie and closed with a 7- under 65, his 10th consecutive round in the 60s.

A tap-in par on the 18th gave him a two-shot win over Chris Kirk, who stayed in the hunt all day without ever putting too much pressure on Snedeker.

With his fifth career win — and fourth over the past 22 months — Snedeker improved to a career-best No. 4 in the world, making him the second-highest American in the world ranking behind Woods.

Snedeker was tied with James Hahn, a 31-year-old rookie from the Bay Area, and seized control with an eagle and three birdies on the opening seven holes.