After maiden PGA win, Pan’s the man
TAIWAN’S Pan Cheng-tsung held off Americans Matt Kuchar and Patrick Cantlay to win his first US PGA Tour title yesterday, capturing the Heritage tournament by one stroke.
Pan fired a final-round four-under par 67 at Harbour Town in Hilton Head, South Carolina, to finish 72 holes on 12-under 272 with Kuchar second on 273 and Cantlay, American Scott Piercy and Ireland’s Shane Lowry another stroke adrift.
“Dream come true,” Pan said. “It’s something when I was younger I always dreamed of. It just means everything to have a win on the PGA Tour.
“It means the world to me. I’m really happy I finally did it.”
Pan watched the Masters last week with his wife and sometimes caddie, thrilled by Tiger Woods’ stirring victory at Augusta National.
His wife, Pan recalled, told him point blank, “Hey, I’m not patient, so you better get me (to Augusta) as soon as possible.”
The victory brought Pan, ranked 113th in the world, tour status through the 2020-21 campaign as well as berths in his first Masters next year and his first PGA Championship next month at Bethpage Black.
Pan’s breakthrough came in his 79th tour event after only seven prior top-10 finishes. He had twice been a runner-up, sharing second in 2017 at Torrey Pines and 2018 at Greensboro.
Known professionally as C.T. Pan, the 27-year-old played at the University of Washington and spent eight weeks in 2013 as the world’s top-ranked amateur golfer.
In 2014, Pan won team and individual gold medals at the Incheon Asian Games. Pan’s wife Michelle was not with him, instead hosting junior golfers from his homeland at an event in Houston where college recruiters could see them play.
Pan won a back-nine shootout after 54-hole leaders faded early. After sinking a tense nine-footer for par at the opening hole, Pan dropped his approach inches from the cup at the par-5 fifth and tapped in for birdie to join a pack on 9under.
Pan charged into the lead alone with a five-foot birdie putt to close the front nine, a 10-foot birdie putt to open the back nine and a seven-footer for birdie at the par-4 12th to reach 12-under. When Lowry made double bogey moments later at the 12th, Pan had opened a two-stroke lead on Kuchar and a three-shot edge on everyone else.
Kuchar answered with a 12foot birdie putt at the par-5 15th. Pan then sent his tee shot at 15 into trees right of the fairway and his third into a greenside bunker on the way to a bogey that left him level for the lead with Kuchar.
“I hit four bad shots and I got away with a bogey,” Pan said. “I knew I had to get more birdies coming in to make sure I had the W.”
World No.1 Dustin Johnson, who shared second at the Masters last week, started the day one up, but fired a 77 to share 28th on 280.