Casey repeats Valspar victory in Florida
short game was the key to this win. A brilliant chip from the side of a grassy bank set up a birdie at the par-5 14th to edge him ahead again and his touch around the green saved par from a nasty spot two holes lat- er. He three-putted the par-3 17th to make it a sweaty finish but it was job done after closing with a par following a brilliant fairway bunker shot.
After being two-under for the day early on, Scottish No 1 Russell Knox dropped four shots in the final 11 holes as he shot a 73, dropping him 11 spots into a tie for 24th on one-under.
Elsewhere, Australian Scott Hend secured his third win on the European Tour after beating Spaniard Nacho Elvira in a play-off following a dramatic finish to the Maybank Championship in Malaysia.
As the heavens opened over Suajana Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, overnight leader Elvira was playing his approach at the last as the first clap of thunder was heard, leading play to be suspended for an hour and 40 minutes.
When it resumed, Elvira coolly rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt to join Hend on 15-underpar but it was Hend who prevailed with a birdie-4, helped by a slice of luck when his drive hit the base of a tree and rebounded back into the fairway, when the pair returned to the 18th in the sudden-death shoot-out.
“I’m a grinder and a fighter. So is my caddie Tony,” said Hend, pictured, who carded back-to-back 67s in the final two rounds. We both have
SCOTT HEND the same mental attitude. It doesn’t matter how old we are, we work hard at what we do. Just takes a bit of luck to win. Obviously I had a bit of luck on the play-off hole. If you don’t have any luck you won’t win.”
It was Hend’s first victory on the circuit since landing the True Thailand Classic in 2016, two years after his breakthrough success in the Hong Kong Open. “Can’t ask for much more on a Sunday when the golf course is playing quite tricky,” he added, having began the final round three shots behind Elvira before racing to the turn in 31.
Elvira’s runner-up finish was his second in as many starts after also getting himself in the mix in Qatar in his last outing. “It was thunder in a bad moment, but the gods did give me one back with that putt,” he said.
David Law’s closing 74 left him in 72nd spot on fourover-par.
“I’m a grinder and a fighter. So is my caddie. It doesn’t matter how old we are. We work hard at what we do”