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D.J. Trahan held off Justin Leonard down the stretch in the final round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, shooting a 7-under 65 to record his second career PGA Tour victory Sunday at the Classic Club in Palm Desert.

Trahan was one of four players who began the day four strokes behind Leonard. But the 27-year-old native of Atlanta, Ga. shrunk the deficit by going 5-under through his first 10 holes. A birdie on the par-5 14^th gave Trahan a one-shot lead that he would not relinquish.

“I am very proud of myself,” said Trahan. “I did what I knew I had to do. Four shots is not an insurmountable lead by any means.”

Leonard, who led Trahan by four with 10 holes remaining, shot 3-over during that stretch. The 2005 Bob Hope champion threw away any chance he had of winning when his drive on the par-5 18^th hole found the water, leading to a bogey that left him at 23-under par and alone in second place.

“To have a four-shot and come out and play as well as I did the first eight holes and lose a golf tournament is disappointing,” said Leonard, who has 11 PGA Tour victories.

Former La Quinta High School standout Anthony Kim posted his fifth sub-70 round of the tournament Sunday, shooting a 69 to finish at 22-under par and in a tie for third with 1995 Hope champion Kenny Perry.

Other Southern California notables include Long Beach’s John Merrick, who finished tied for 16^th, and Northridge resident Charlie Wi, who shot a pair of 67s on the weekend to end in a tie for 22^nd.

The PGA Tour now leaves the desert and heads to La Jolla for the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. Southlandgolfmagazine.com is your source for complete day-by-day coverage, including a Wednesday recap of Tiger Woods’s pre-tournament press conference.