SPIETH WINS PLAY-OFF AT 3rd EXTRA
HOLE AGAINST O'HAIR AND REED
Jordan Spieth, 21. chalked up his second US PGA Tour win by coming out on top in a three-way play-off against fellow Americans Patrick Reid and Sean O'Hair in an exciting climax to this weekend's US PGA Tour event, the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbour, Florida.
The first two play-off holes were halved in pars. The third extra hole was a par 3 ... won by Spieth by holing a 28ft birdie putt. His cash prize was in excess of one million dollars.
Reed, O'Hair and Spieth tied on 10-under-par 274 at the end of the regulation 72 holes, Reed finishing with a 66, O'Hair a 69 and Spieth a 69.
Sweden's Henrik Stenson finishd fourth on 275 after a closing 67.
Third-round leader Ryan Moore had a one-over-par 72 in his final round and dropped down to fifth place on 276.
Russell Knox (69-71-70-73) and Martin Laird (69-72-74-68) tied for 33rd place on one-under 283.
For much of the day, it looked like Ryan Moore’s tournament – especially when he holed a 7-iron from 162 yards at the sixth hole for eagle. When Moore birdied the 12th, his second in a row, he led by three strokes, and yet he didn’t even make the three-man play-off. Moore finished with a 72 and became the eighth straight 54-hole leader to come up short on Sunday.
Spieth counter-punched down the stretch behind a hot putter, beginning with a birdie at 13 to pull within a stroke of Moore.
“All I needed was to see one go in, I could start seeing the line,” Spieth said. “The hole looked a little bigger.”
One hole later, Spieth rolled in his first haymaker, a 32ft putt to tie for the lead. His celebration was more of a roundhouse than a Tiger Woods-esque uppercut, but it sent the crowd into a frenzy.
A few holes later, Spieth stood on the 16th tee when he heard a roar from 18. He had a feeling it might be Reed. Shortly before Reed teed off two groups ahead of the leaders, Spieth chatted with Reed and said, “Play well today.” He paused before finishing, “Just not too well.”
But Reed did play well, very well, shooting a bogey-free 66 and sinking a 31ft birdie putt at 18 to ensure a place in the play-off.
O’Hair, 32, was without a top-10 finish in nearly a year and had slipped to No. 401 in the World. He posted 67 to become the old man in the playoff.
Spieth needed his own heroics to join them, making world-class up-and-downs at Nos. 17 and 18.
At the par-3 17th, Spieth short-sided himself and required delicate touch from a dicey line.
“We were walking up and I said to Mike (his caddie), ‘Please be a good lie or not on a downslope,’ ” Spieth recalled.
So what type of lie did he have? “Just buried on the downslope,” he said. “Geez.”
Spieth made it look easy. Then at 18, he drove into the left fairway bunker, caught his 7-iron fat, and pitched over the bunker to 11 feet.
Spieth had to make the par putt to finish the tournament at 10 under and join the play-off.
As player and caddie marched to the green, caddie Greller reminded Spieth that they had made a bigger putt on this same green two years ago. It was the putt that earned Spieth special temporary status on Tour and ignited his run to the Presidents Cup later that year.
“This is a lot less pressure than when you were fighting for your job,” Greller said.
Spieth grinned just as he would when his putt had just enough steam to drop. With his right fist, Spieth punched the air with ecstasy.
Reed, O’Hair and Spieth returned to 18 and at the first playoff hole, Spieth had a putt to win, but it slid by and one hole later at 16, O’Hair’s putt for the win lipped out.
Meanwhile, Reed kept living to play another hole by showing off his spectacular short game.
“I didn’t like him still in the playoff,” joked Spieth, who lost to Reed in extra holes at the 2013 Wyndham Championship. “He was plugged in the lip (at 18) and we’re counting him out. You can’t count him out. He’s just a competitor. He‘s fiery.”
So is Spieth. Or as caddie Greller put it, “he’s stubborn.” Spieth knew it would take a birdie to win. As for the winning putt?
“That putt, that’s just luck, right?” Spieth said with a smile.
“There were so many unbelievable shots that you just shake your head,” Greller said.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
par 284 (4x71) Players from USA unless stated
274 Patrick Reed 72 68 68 66, Sean O'Hair 66 72 69 67, Jordan Spieth 70 68 68 69
275 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 67 70 71 67
276 Ryan Moore 69 68 67 72
278 Troy Merritt 72 69 71 66
279 Danny Lee (NZ) 72 69 71 67, Jason Kokrak 68 73 70 68, Luke Guthrie 68 73 70 68
SELECTED TOTALS
280 Brian Davis (England) 65 76 70 69 (T10)
281 Lee Westwood (England) 71 70 71 69 (T17)
282 Ian Poulter (England) 68 70 75 69 (T24)
283 Russell Knox (Scotland) 69 71 70 73, Martin Laird (Scotland) 69 72 74 68 (T33).
287 Luke Donald 72 68 73 74 (T53)
TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
CLICK HERE
HOLE AGAINST O'HAIR AND REED
Jordan Spieth, 21. chalked up his second US PGA Tour win by coming out on top in a three-way play-off against fellow Americans Patrick Reid and Sean O'Hair in an exciting climax to this weekend's US PGA Tour event, the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbour, Florida.
The first two play-off holes were halved in pars. The third extra hole was a par 3 ... won by Spieth by holing a 28ft birdie putt. His cash prize was in excess of one million dollars.
Reed, O'Hair and Spieth tied on 10-under-par 274 at the end of the regulation 72 holes, Reed finishing with a 66, O'Hair a 69 and Spieth a 69.
Sweden's Henrik Stenson finishd fourth on 275 after a closing 67.
Third-round leader Ryan Moore had a one-over-par 72 in his final round and dropped down to fifth place on 276.
Russell Knox (69-71-70-73) and Martin Laird (69-72-74-68) tied for 33rd place on one-under 283.
For much of the day, it looked like Ryan Moore’s tournament – especially when he holed a 7-iron from 162 yards at the sixth hole for eagle. When Moore birdied the 12th, his second in a row, he led by three strokes, and yet he didn’t even make the three-man play-off. Moore finished with a 72 and became the eighth straight 54-hole leader to come up short on Sunday.
Spieth counter-punched down the stretch behind a hot putter, beginning with a birdie at 13 to pull within a stroke of Moore.
“All I needed was to see one go in, I could start seeing the line,” Spieth said. “The hole looked a little bigger.”
One hole later, Spieth rolled in his first haymaker, a 32ft putt to tie for the lead. His celebration was more of a roundhouse than a Tiger Woods-esque uppercut, but it sent the crowd into a frenzy.
A few holes later, Spieth stood on the 16th tee when he heard a roar from 18. He had a feeling it might be Reed. Shortly before Reed teed off two groups ahead of the leaders, Spieth chatted with Reed and said, “Play well today.” He paused before finishing, “Just not too well.”
But Reed did play well, very well, shooting a bogey-free 66 and sinking a 31ft birdie putt at 18 to ensure a place in the play-off.
O’Hair, 32, was without a top-10 finish in nearly a year and had slipped to No. 401 in the World. He posted 67 to become the old man in the playoff.
Spieth needed his own heroics to join them, making world-class up-and-downs at Nos. 17 and 18.
At the par-3 17th, Spieth short-sided himself and required delicate touch from a dicey line.
“We were walking up and I said to Mike (his caddie), ‘Please be a good lie or not on a downslope,’ ” Spieth recalled.
So what type of lie did he have? “Just buried on the downslope,” he said. “Geez.”
Spieth made it look easy. Then at 18, he drove into the left fairway bunker, caught his 7-iron fat, and pitched over the bunker to 11 feet.
Spieth had to make the par putt to finish the tournament at 10 under and join the play-off.
As player and caddie marched to the green, caddie Greller reminded Spieth that they had made a bigger putt on this same green two years ago. It was the putt that earned Spieth special temporary status on Tour and ignited his run to the Presidents Cup later that year.
“This is a lot less pressure than when you were fighting for your job,” Greller said.
Spieth grinned just as he would when his putt had just enough steam to drop. With his right fist, Spieth punched the air with ecstasy.
Reed, O’Hair and Spieth returned to 18 and at the first playoff hole, Spieth had a putt to win, but it slid by and one hole later at 16, O’Hair’s putt for the win lipped out.
Meanwhile, Reed kept living to play another hole by showing off his spectacular short game.
“I didn’t like him still in the playoff,” joked Spieth, who lost to Reed in extra holes at the 2013 Wyndham Championship. “He was plugged in the lip (at 18) and we’re counting him out. You can’t count him out. He’s just a competitor. He‘s fiery.”
So is Spieth. Or as caddie Greller put it, “he’s stubborn.” Spieth knew it would take a birdie to win. As for the winning putt?
“That putt, that’s just luck, right?” Spieth said with a smile.
“There were so many unbelievable shots that you just shake your head,” Greller said.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
par 284 (4x71) Players from USA unless stated
274 Patrick Reed 72 68 68 66, Sean O'Hair 66 72 69 67, Jordan Spieth 70 68 68 69
275 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 67 70 71 67
276 Ryan Moore 69 68 67 72
278 Troy Merritt 72 69 71 66
279 Danny Lee (NZ) 72 69 71 67, Jason Kokrak 68 73 70 68, Luke Guthrie 68 73 70 68
SELECTED TOTALS
280 Brian Davis (England) 65 76 70 69 (T10)
281 Lee Westwood (England) 71 70 71 69 (T17)
282 Ian Poulter (England) 68 70 75 69 (T24)
283 Russell Knox (Scotland) 69 71 70 73, Martin Laird (Scotland) 69 72 74 68 (T33).
287 Luke Donald 72 68 73 74 (T53)
TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
CLICK HERE
Labels: US PGA TOUR
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