RUSSELL HENLEY WINS FOUR-MAN HONDA CLASSIC PLAY-OFF
- FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
In the end, Russell Henley survived and got the second victory of his career on a day when it looked like no one was capable of winning.
“This doesn’t feel real,” he said.
At times it didn’t look like it, either.
Rory McIlroy had started the day with a two-stroke lead only to give it up with four bogeys and a double bogey in an 11-hole stretch. But he still had a chance to win after reaching the par-5 18th in two to set up a 12-foot eagle putt.
McIlroy missed, though, and joined Henley, Ryan Palmer and Russell Knox in extra holes.
Eight yards from where he hit his drive on the 18th in regulation, Henley ripped a 5-wood onto the green and two-putted for birdie and the win.
Henley earned $1,080,000, Knox and the two other joint runners-up received $448,000.
This is the closest US PGA Tour rookie Knox, born in Inverness and based at Jacksonville Beach, Florida since his four years at Jacksonville University, has got to winning in the Big League - and his cheque was also a career-high.
On the testing par-5 18th hole in regulation, Henley had hit the same club but didn’t feel comfortable over the shot and missed the green left. He chunked his chip had to two-putt from 50 feet to shoot 72 and get in the playoff at 8 under.
“I think I was just kind of shocked that I kind of let it get to that point,” Henley said. “I thought that I would have hit a better chip and not had a 50-footer for birdie on 18 with where I was on the fairway. Just a little bit of shock.”
He was just as surprised he was the one holding the trophy. Since winning the Sony Open in Hawaii last year, Henley had managed just two top 10s on the US PGA Tour.
“This is not exactly what I was expecting at the start of the week,” said Henley, who picked up 500 FedExCup points with the win to move to 16th in the standings. “(But I) played really well (in the second round) at Riviera and almost made the cut. I went from almost last to having a putt on the last hole to make the cut. For some reason that gave me a lot of confidence going into this week. That's really all it takes I think.”
For all his struggles Sunday at PGA National, Rory McIlroy amazingly still had a chance to win The Honda Classic after an amazing shot to 12 feet to set up an eagle try on the final hole of regulation.
He missed the putt and lost in a playoff, but that wasn’t what lost the tournament for McIlroy.
"I'm just thinking, play those last few holes just solid, and 16 was what really cost me,” he said.
“I was trying to hit a 6-iron right of the target. I let the wind bring it back and I just got a little underneath it and caught it a little heavy.
"In hindsight, I probably should have hit 5-iron and tried to hold it up because I could have got more on top of it and would have taken that fat shot out of it."
Still, the week was largely a step in the right direction for the 24-year-old former world No. 1. McIlroy won in Australia late last year, had a chance to do so here and in Abu Dhabi and has been in contention a handful of other times the last few months.
"There's a few positives to take, but obviously it's going to be hard to get over because I had a great chance to win my first tournament of the season and I didn't," McIlroy said.
"Tough to take at the minute but I'll sleep it off tonight and get back at it."
For more on McIlroy’s final round, and to share your reaction, click here.
In the playoff, Henley was the only player to reach the 549-yard par-5 18th hole in two, and he two-putted from about 40 feet for a title-winning birdie 4.
Ryan Palmer missed a 10-foot birdie putt. McIlroy went from the back bunker to the front collar and had to scramble for par, and Russell Knox laid up and missed a 20-foot birdie attempt.
"This isn't going to sink in for a while," Henley said.
Thousands of fans who spent hours in the warmth and wind of south Florida surely felt the same way.
Woods abruptly quit after 13 holes and was driven straight to his car. He later said he had lower back pain and spasms, and was unsure if he could play at Doral next week. And then came all the mistakes by four guys trying to win.
Palmer missed a 5-foot par in regulation that would have won it. He closed with a 69, the only player in the last six groups to break par. Knox needed a birdie on the last hole, but he went from the fairway bunker to the rough, well over the green and then calmly made a par putt just inside 10 feet for a 71 to get in the playoff.
They all finished at 8-under 272.
The conditions were tough. The play was so underwhelming that McIlroy said that if he had won, "It would have felt undeserved in a way."
He won't know that feeling.
Instead, the 24-year-old from Northern Ireland closed with a 74. It was his second straight tournament in stroke play that he played in the final group and shot 74. He tied for ninth in the Dubai Desert Classic. His undoing came on the 16th, when McIlroy missed on a 6-iron from the bunker and went into the water, making double bogey. He fell out of the lead for the first time with a bogey from the bunker on the 17th.
What should ease the pain was his finish -- a 5-wood he couldn't afford to miss that dropped from the sky to 12 feet left of the hole.
"I was fortunate I was in the playoff," McIlroy said. "Seventy-four wasn't good enough to get the job done. To go out with a two-shot lead, you have to play well enough to win the thing. If I had won today, I would have counted myself as lucky. I'll pick myself up, get back it, try to get back at it at Doral and try to get the job done."
Henley, who closed with a 72, won for the second time and qualified for the Masters. He also moves into the top 50 in the world ranking, making him eligible for the Cadillac Championship next week at Doral.
It was the first playoff at PGA National since 2007, which also featured four players.
McIlroy was at 13 under after a birdie on the fifth hole and appeared to be on his way, even after twice making bogey from the bunker to close out the front nine.
PGA National was tougher than ever after a weekend of sunshine, and the stiff breeze in south Florida. The average score was 71.8, two shots harder than the third round.
The contenders made it look like a beast.
Henley tied for the lead by chipping in for birdie on the 14th, only to deposit his tee shot on the par-3 15th into the water for double bogey. Palmer missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole, which wasn't nearly as damaging as the par putts he missed from 8 feet on the 16th and 5 feet on the 18th.
Knox fell out of a brief share of the lead when he tried to play from the right rough on the 14th and had his shot carom into the water for a double bogey.
At least they were still around.
Woods was just a guy in a red shirt at PGA National when he shook hands with Luke Guthrie, his playing partner, and told him he was done.
"Too early to tell," Woods said in a statement about playing next week at Doral. "I'll get treatment every day to try to calm it down. Just don't know yet. Wait until Thursday and see how it feels."
It was the second straight year that the world's No. 1 player walked out on the Honda Classic. A year ago, McIlroy was so frustrated with his game that he quit after 26 holes. At least this time, McIlroy stayed until the wild end. It just wasn't the finish he wanted.
Russell Knox, who will be 29 on June 21, and has been a pro since 2007 - the former Scotland youth cap has never played professionally in Scotland, told Scottishgolfview.com earlier this year that if he had secured his place on the 2015 US PGA Tour by that time he would definitely come back to Scotland for the Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen from July 10 to 13 - the week before the Open at Hoylake.
We are hoping that Russell will confirm that on Monday.
He has played the Balgownie links as an amateur and like the course - probably because he played well!
Knox's Honda Classic payslip for $448,000 boosts his 2014 US PGA Tour earnings to $873,110 and 26th place in the money table.
The only Europeans ahead of him are Graeme McDowell (21st with $981,300) and Ian Poulter (25th with $923,260).
Rory McIlroy (32nd with $778,500) is six places behind Knox in the table!
Russell was joint best with Thompson and Palmer in hitting greens in regulation during the 72 holes of the Honda Classic - 53 out of 72 (73.61 per cent).
Knox drives the ball on average 286 yards.
SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW THE FINAL TOTALS AND THE PRIZEMONEY ALLOCATION
Labels: US PGA TOUR
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