SPIETH (19) WINS PLACE AT MUIRFIELD BY WINNING DEERE CLASSIC PLAY-OFF

 

    Jordan Spieth with the John Deere Classic trophy. Picture by courtesy of Getty Images(c)

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

SILVIS, Illinois: Nineteen-year-old Jordan Spieth outlasted David Hearn and Zach Johnson on the fifth hole of a play-off to win the John Deere Classic on Sunday, becoming the youngest winner on the US PGA Tour in 82 years.

Spieth, who played in the R and A Junior Open four years ago and who doesn't turn 20 for another two weeks, hit a two-foot par putt to earn full status on the US PGA Tour and a chance to play in the FedExCup Playoffs. He makes his debut in the FedExCup standings at No. 11 and, as a bonus, gains a spot in the British Open field at Muirfield this week. 
 He is also the first teenager to win a US PGA Tour title win since Ralph Guldahl took the Santa Monica Open in 1931.
"I didn't think it would happen this early," said Spieth, who turned professional in December. "I had a plan. I guess the plan got exceeded."
Spieth started the day six shots behind third-round leader Daniel Summerhays. But he forced his way into the playoff by holing out of the bunker from 44 feet on the final hole of regulation.
Spieth got lucky when that shot took a pair of fortuitous bounces. But he also put himself in that position with a brilliant final round.
"The shot on 18 was the luckiest shot I ever hit in my life," Spieth said. "The fact that it bounced right and hit the pin and dropped down to the cup, it's just extremely fortunate."
Spieth, Hearn and Johnson then made par on the first four playoff holes, but Spieth made another par to stave off Johnson and Hearn on the fifth.
Johnson, the defending champion at TPC Deere Run, seized control midway through the final round of regulation, but he simply couldn't get enough birdies to put the field away, and his uncharacteristic bogey on No. 18 set up a three-man playoff.

All three players had their chances to make a playoff-ending shot -- with Johnson narrowly missing from the back of the green on a chip shot that clipped the cup on the first playoff hole.
Johnson hit the ground in disbelief. It would turn out to be the closest he would get to victory.
"I had my chances on the back side in regulation. I mean, I hit some really good shots and just didn't make anything," Johnson said.
Hearn, from Canada, also had a shot at the win, which would have been his first on the PGA TOUR, as well. But he missed a makeable putt on the fourth playoff hole.
"Congrats to Jordan. He's going to have an amazing career, obviously. He's an incredible talent to come on TOUR at his age and have as much success as quickly as he has. So hat's off to him," Hearn said.
Spieth, Hearn and Johnson all went right on their final tee shot. Spieth scrambled out of the rough, though, finding the back of the green to save par and win his first PGA TOUR event.
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy were all 20 when they earned their first victories, but none of them could match Spieth, who is now the fourth-youngest winner in TOUR history.
"Just got so lucky. That's what it is. But right now I'm extremely pleased, and a little worried about only having short sleeves going to Scotland," Spieth said.

About the winner: Jordan Spieth

• Jordan Spieth became the youngest winner on the US PGA Tour since Ralph Guldahl won the 1931 Santa Monica Open at the age of 19 years, 8 months and 3 days. • Spieth started the week as a Special Temporary Member , who opened the season with no PGA TOUR status. He played this week’s John Deere Classic on his own number and holed a 45-foot bunker shot on the 72nd hole for birdie and a 6-under 65, resulting in sudden death with defending  champion Zach Johnson and David Hearn. Spieth won with a par on the fifth extra hole. • As a Special Temporary Member, Spieth needed a win to become a regular member in order to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. With the win, his 614 Non-Member points become retroactive and are added to the 500 he earns for the win, giving him 1,114 points. With that, Spieth is projected to move inside the top 20 in FedExCup standings, safely securing his spot in the FedExCup Playoffs (The top 125 players plus ties through the Wyndham Championship qualify for The Barclays). • With the win, Spieth earns the last spot into this week’s Open Championship at Muirfield, Scotland. Since 1934, only 10 players have followed a win with a major championship title the next week. The last to do so was Tiger Woods in 2007, when he won the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational the week before claiming his fourth PGA Championship crown. It will be his second golfing visit to Britain. He played in the R and A Junior Open for Under-16s at a Lancashire venue four years ago.  • If not otherwise exempt, Spieth earns a spot into these additional 2013 and 2014 PGA TOUR events: 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 2013 PGA Championship, 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, 2014 Masters Tournament.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
Players from USA unless stated
265 Zach Johnson 64 66 67 68, Jordan Spieth 70 65 65 65, David Hearn (Canada) 66 66 64 69 (Spieth won sudden-death play-off at fifth extra hole).
266 Martin Flores 67 67 67 63, Jerry Kelly 68 64 66 68, Daniel Summerhays 65 67 62 72.

TO FIND OUT ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE