Late charge lifts Day to victory
Miami, May 7: Australia’s Jason Day birdied two of the last three holes Sunday to capture the Wells Fargo Championship, collecting his 12th career US PGA title and second of the year.
Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, held off Americans Aaron Wise and Nick Watney with a final- round two- under par 69 to finish 72 holes on 12- under 272 for a two- stroke victory at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On the same course where he contended before faltering late in last year’s PGA Championship, the 30year- old Aussie stumbled with back- to- back bogeys and fell level with Wise with four holes remaining.
But Day sank a 10- foot birdie putt at the par- 4 16th and bounced his tee shot into the flagstick at the par- 3 17th before a tapin birdie. He sank a sevenfooter for par at 18 to win by two.
“This is probably one of the best wins I’ve ever had because of how hard everything was today,” Day said.
Wise, seeking his first PGA win, fired a 68 to settle for a career- best second on 274 with Watney, who was chasing his sixth PGA title and first since 2012, closing with a 60- foot birdie putt to match him for the runner- up spot.
American Bryson DeChambeau was fourth on 276 with five- time major winner Phil Mickelson on 277 with US compatriot Peter Uihlein and England’s Paul Casey.
The tournament, shortened to 36 holes because of rain and bad weather, had Aditi setting the clubhouse target
finishes this season were T- 14 at the Kia Classic and T- 19 at the HugelJTBC La Open.
Later in the evening, Sung Hyun Park showed why she is one of the stars to watch this season as she went on to win the tournament by coming good in clutch situations.
Aditi, who shot a 69 in the first round also played 14 more holes of her second round on Saturday itself for a total of 32 holes. On Sunday she played her four holes with one birdie and three pars.
Aditi’s 7- under target came over two hours before Park began so she knew exactly what was needed to capture her third career LPGA win. Her first big step was a long chip in from just off the green at fourth for eagle to jump into a share of the lead. The second was her last shot of the day, when she was on 10under. Park chipped in for birdie from right of the green to finish at 11under.