BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT AND SCORES
Creativity lifts Brendon Todd to first title
- FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
- By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM
-
Brendon Todd was nothing short of spectacular around the greens Sunday at TPC Four Seasons. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Results, points | Wrap-up | Winner's bag | Highlights | FedExCup
IRVING, Texas -- He holed out from a greenside bunker Sunday. Then hit a chip left-handed -- and with the back of his club -- to save par. Oh, and he led the field in scrambling all week.
"I have a great short game," Brendon Todd said, "and even I'll say it was special this week."
Indeed, it was special for 72 holes at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, special enough to allow Todd to enjoy the moment while walking up the 18th green Sunday at the TPC Four Seasons Resort, knowing he was safely on the green with a two-shot lead and about to claim his first US PGA Tour win.
He fought back the emotions. Relief. Excitement. Joy. "Joyful tears," said Todd, thinking back to the last few years he bounced back-and-forth between the TOUR and the Web.com Tour.
On a crowded Sunday leaderboard that had a potpourri of past major winners, established stars and guys looking to break through, Todd seized the opportunity and never flinched. He posted the only bogey-free round among the contenders, and he made the biggest shots.
With Canadian Mike Weir making an early charge two groups in front of him, Todd holed out from the bunker for birdie at the par-3 second. At the fifth, he rolled in a birdie putt inside 14 feet. At the ninth, he stuck his approach inside 6 feet.
And then at the par-4 13th, he got creative. After his tee shot landed 12 inches from a tree, giving him no chance to hit right-handed, Todd took a 4-iron and went southpaw.
He didn't even flip the club over, instead using the back of it. His chip from 65 feet finished inside 8 feet. He buried the par putt.
It was his time.
"My brother-in-law is left-handed," Todd said when asked how he came up with the shot. "I putted with his left-handed putter before and I'm pretty good at it. So I tried to use that stroke."
If there was any doubt on whether he could slam the door, Todd delivered his final statement at the 17th, drilling a par putt from 13 feet, 9 inches. That gave him breathing room and a chance to enjoy the moment.
As most golfers on TOUR, he's had his share of wins -- junior golf, college events, etc. He's even won twice on the Web.com Tour, five years apart and was the medalist at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament in 2011. All that success helped him deal with the pressure of being in contention on the back-nine Sunday on the PGA TOUR.
"I drew on those experiences and none of them were as nerve-wracking as this one," he said. "I couldn't explain how I felt on the back nine today."
No explanation needed. He let his short game do the talking.
IRVING, Texas -- He holed out from a greenside bunker Sunday. Then hit a chip left-handed -- and with the back of his club -- to save par. Oh, and he led the field in scrambling all week.
"I have a great short game," Brendon Todd said, "and even I'll say it was special this week."
Indeed, it was special for 72 holes at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, special enough to allow Todd to enjoy the moment while walking up the 18th green Sunday at the TPC Four Seasons Resort, knowing he was safely on the green with a two-shot lead and about to claim his first US PGA Tour win.
He fought back the emotions. Relief. Excitement. Joy. "Joyful tears," said Todd, thinking back to the last few years he bounced back-and-forth between the TOUR and the Web.com Tour.
On a crowded Sunday leaderboard that had a potpourri of past major winners, established stars and guys looking to break through, Todd seized the opportunity and never flinched. He posted the only bogey-free round among the contenders, and he made the biggest shots.
With Canadian Mike Weir making an early charge two groups in front of him, Todd holed out from the bunker for birdie at the par-3 second. At the fifth, he rolled in a birdie putt inside 14 feet. At the ninth, he stuck his approach inside 6 feet.
And then at the par-4 13th, he got creative. After his tee shot landed 12 inches from a tree, giving him no chance to hit right-handed, Todd took a 4-iron and went southpaw.
He didn't even flip the club over, instead using the back of it. His chip from 65 feet finished inside 8 feet. He buried the par putt.
It was his time.
"My brother-in-law is left-handed," Todd said when asked how he came up with the shot. "I putted with his left-handed putter before and I'm pretty good at it. So I tried to use that stroke."
If there was any doubt on whether he could slam the door, Todd delivered his final statement at the 17th, drilling a par putt from 13 feet, 9 inches. That gave him breathing room and a chance to enjoy the moment.
As most golfers on TOUR, he's had his share of wins -- junior golf, college events, etc. He's even won twice on the Web.com Tour, five years apart and was the medalist at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament in 2011. All that success helped him deal with the pressure of being in contention on the back-nine Sunday on the PGA TOUR.
"I drew on those experiences and none of them were as nerve-wracking as this one," he said. "I couldn't explain how I felt on the back nine today."
No explanation needed. He let his short game do the talking.
SOMETHING WORTH CELEBRATING: Mike Weir's birthday was Monday.
He turned 44. Life, at least inside the ropes, hasn't been going that
well since the Canadian star entered his 40s and hit a tree root at
Hilton Head in 2010, partially tearing a ligament in his right elbow.
Weir didn't get a chance to celebrate his birthday, as he was traveling to Texas for this week's event.
But after getting into contention through the first three rounds, Weir received a nice surprise Sunday morning. His wife Bricia flew in to cheer on her husband in the final round.
"It was great to have my wife here, no doubt," Weir said.
He certainly started off inspired, with four birdies in his first five holes. That put him atop the leaderboard at that point. But a couple of bogeys before the turn, and Brendon Todd's bogey-free play throughout were too much to overcome.
Still, a solo second -- his first top-10 finish since the 2010 Humana Challenge -- felt extremely satisfying.
"I was definitely determined to win today," Weir said, "but I can feel good about the way I handled things out there and the way I played. Gave myself a couple of good looks coming in and just wasn't meant to be. But I'm happy with today."
Weir moved from 187th to 87th in the FedExCup standings. He has not played in the FedExCup Playoffs since 2009.
Weir didn't get a chance to celebrate his birthday, as he was traveling to Texas for this week's event.
But after getting into contention through the first three rounds, Weir received a nice surprise Sunday morning. His wife Bricia flew in to cheer on her husband in the final round.
"It was great to have my wife here, no doubt," Weir said.
He certainly started off inspired, with four birdies in his first five holes. That put him atop the leaderboard at that point. But a couple of bogeys before the turn, and Brendon Todd's bogey-free play throughout were too much to overcome.
Still, a solo second -- his first top-10 finish since the 2010 Humana Challenge -- felt extremely satisfying.
"I was definitely determined to win today," Weir said, "but I can feel good about the way I handled things out there and the way I played. Gave myself a couple of good looks coming in and just wasn't meant to be. But I'm happy with today."
Weir moved from 187th to 87th in the FedExCup standings. He has not played in the FedExCup Playoffs since 2009.
NOT EXACTLY SEVENTH HEAVEN: Gary Woodland is one of the US Tour's
biggest hitters, so par 5s normally don't cause him to grimace. But he
couldn't solve the easiest hole on the course this week, the 542-yard
par-5 seventh.
Woodland parred the hole the first two rounds, double-bogeyed it in the third round and then bogeyed it in the final round. After a perfect drive, his second shot drifted left of the pin. It then took him four shots to go less than 60 feet.
On Saturday, it took him five shots to go 35-1/2 feet after he struggled to get out of a greenside bunker.
Woodland shot a 71 to finish in a tie for seventh Sunday. If he just pars the seventh hole this week -- it played to a stroke average of 4.613 -- then he finishes solo third.
"I played good," Woodland said about the week, before adding, "Seven killed me."
He likely won't stew about the seventh hole for very long, though. Woodland's 30th birthday is Wednesday. He's headed to Cabo.
Woodland parred the hole the first two rounds, double-bogeyed it in the third round and then bogeyed it in the final round. After a perfect drive, his second shot drifted left of the pin. It then took him four shots to go less than 60 feet.
On Saturday, it took him five shots to go 35-1/2 feet after he struggled to get out of a greenside bunker.
Woodland shot a 71 to finish in a tie for seventh Sunday. If he just pars the seventh hole this week -- it played to a stroke average of 4.613 -- then he finishes solo third.
"I played good," Woodland said about the week, before adding, "Seven killed me."
He likely won't stew about the seventh hole for very long, though. Woodland's 30th birthday is Wednesday. He's headed to Cabo.
It was the same thing that happened to Jordan Spieth in 2010 when he finished tied for 16th as a 16-year-old amateur and couldn't accept the big payday.
"Jordan told me I would be mad when I get down to Austin next year and I don't have any money," Scheffler said.
Like Spieth, Scheffler will play golf for the University of Texas.
JUMPER-STOPPED: Dustin Johnson was 4 under through his first seven holes and coming off an eagle at the seventh. He was at 8 under at that point. "I had it going," he said.
Had he kept it going, he might have made things interesting.
But he double-bogeyed the par-4 eighth when a jumper out of the rough on his approach shot went over the back of the green. He followed with a pitch shot that stopped on a downhill slope.
"Another six inches, it goes down into the leather for par," he said. Then he was aggressive with his putter, and ended up three-putting to take himself out of the mix.
"I'm happy with the way I'm competing," Johnson said after finishing tied for seventh. "I just didn't really play that well."
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70) Players from USA unless stated
266 Brendon Todd 68 64 68 66 ($1,242,00)
268 Mike Weir (Canada) 68 66 676 67 ($745,200)
270 Charles Howell 68 66 69 67, Marc Leishman (Australia) 66 68 68 68 ($400,200 each)
271 James Hahn 71 65 65 70, Boo Weekley 67 68 68 68 ($262,200 each).
SELECTED TOTALS
274 Louis Oosthuizen (S Africa) 68 68 64 74 (T11) ($146,280)
275 Paul Casey (England) 71 63 73 68 (T16) ($100,050)
276 Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 68 68 66 74 (T22) ($64,055)
277 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 67 67 71 72 (T29) ($43,944).
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Labels: US PGA TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Monday, May 19, 2014
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