Harman birdie pips Johnson at Wells Fargo
WILMINGTON: Brian Harman sank a 28-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win the Wells Fargo Championship, edging top-ranked Dustin Johnson and Pat Perez by a stroke.
Harman, whose only prior tour triumph came at the 2014 John Deere Classic, birdied the last two holes to deny fellow American Johnson a chance at his fourth consecutive PGA Tour triumph in his comeback event after missing the Masters with a back injury.
“It’s a lot of emotion for sure,” Harman said. “I’ve been fighting really hard. I’ve been working really hard. This one feels pretty good.”
Harman fired a four-under par 68 to finish 72 holes on 10-under 278 at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Johnson, who matched the day’s low round with his second consecutive 67, said he feels fit physically and mentally as he prepares to defend his US Open title next month at Erin Hills.
It looked as if Johnson, who only made the cut on the number, was destined for a play-off with Perez in his bid to become the first player with four wins in a row since Tiger Woods in 2008.
Harman missed a four-foot par putt at the par-three 15th to fall one adrift but sank a four-foot birdie putt at 17 to match clubhouse leaders Perez and Johnson.
His approach at 18 bounded well left of the green and his pitch left him an unlikely birdie putt to grab the lead, but he rammed it home and began a screaming, fist-pumping, high-five-filled celebration.
“It’s surreal,” Harman said. “Threeputted that 15th hole, knew it was going to be tough to birdie those last couple, but I stuck to my game plan and just got it done.”
Harman credited his success to “having a little more belief in myself, knowing I’m
pretty good at what I do, staying in the moment and doing what I need to do.”
LEADING FINAL ROUND SCORES
(USA unless noted)
278 — Brian Harman 71-69-70-68
279 — Dustin Johnson 70-75-67-67, Pat Perez 72-69-70-68
280 — Jon Rahm (ESP) 69-71-69-71
281 — Smylie Kaufman 70-71-72-68, Kevin Tway 72-7069-70, Noh Seung-Yul (KOR) 69-74-67-71
282 — Jonathan Randolph 69-73-73-67, Billy Hurley 70-69-72-71, Nick Taylor (CAN) 71-69-71-71, An Byeong-Hun (KOR) 72-70-69-71