Venezuelen Vegas rallies in Canada
Kerr, Piller help U.S. win Crown
OAKVILLE, Ontario — Jhonattan Vegas birdied his way off Glen Abbey and waited to see if anyone could catch him. No one could.
Vegas rallied to win the Canadian Open on Sunday for his second PGA Tour title, birdieing the final three holes for an 8-under 64 and onestroke victory.
The 29-year-old Venezuelan Olympic player began the day five strokes behind leader Brandt Snedeker and four behind U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson and Canadian amateur Jared du Toit. Last week in Alabama in the event opposite the British Open, Vegas shot a courserecord 61 in the second round and tied for fourth.
“That’s the fortunate breaks that sometimes you need to be a champion on the PGA Tour,” Vegas said. “It’s a great feeling. I mean, last week, I had a six-shot lead going into the weekend and lost by three. I was five back starting today and won by one. It’s a crazy sport. You’ve just got to keep your head down and play hard.”
Vegas had five straight birdies on Nos. 2-6, bogeyed the par-4 eighth and also birdied the par-5 13th.
“Starting the round, I knew that if I could get to 12 under, literally that’s the number I had in my mind,” Vegas said. “I didn’t know that it was going to be enough, obviously, to win by one, but I knew it was going to give me a good chance.”
He birdied the par-5 16th, par-4 17th and par-5 18th to post at 12-under 276.
“I think there were a bunch of guys around 11 or 10,” Vegas said. “We had, I think, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker, a bunch of guys, really close. Great players. I knew, if I got lucky, it was going to be a playoff. Super surprised when I saw that nobody got to 12.”
Johnson, Jon Rahm and Martin Laird tied for second.
Vegas earned $1,062,000 and a spot in the PGA Championship next week at Baltusrol in New Jersey. He also received a two-year tour exemption and a spot in the Masters next year.
Also the 2011 Bob Hope Classic winner, Vegas did some soul-searching after the loss in Alabama
“I had a long talk with my parents. I had a long talk with my golf teachers about what was missing, what was the missing component of the formula to win,” Vegas said. “Obviously, we had a long talk, a lot of things came out. Came this week with a completely different approach about things.”
LPGA: In Gurnee, Ill., Cristie Kerr held on for a 3-and-2 victory over Melissa Reid to give the United States the UL International Crown.
Kerr and company were shut out in the first session of the LPGA Tour event, but they got progressively better each day. Stacy Lewis and Roswell’s Gerina Piller each closed out wins before Reid missed a birdie putt on 16, handing the decisive victory to Kerr.
“I think I play better when there is more pressure,” said Kerr, who was the last player to tee off for the U.S.
Lewis and Piller ran to the green for a group hug with Kerr when it was over. Kerr’s caddie, Brady Stockton, grabbed the flag at 16 to save it for his player.
Lexi Thompson lost 2 and 1 to South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu, and then joined the celebration at a muggy Merit Club about 40 miles northwest of Chicago. The Americans won a silver trophy, and each of the players took home a crown and $100,000.
SENIORS: In Carnoustie, Scotland, Paul Broadhurst won the Senior British Open for his first senior major title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Scott McCarron. The 50-year-old Broadhurst overcame an opening 75 to become the third English player to win a PGA Tour Champions major.
TAHOE: In Stateline, Nev., Mark Mulder rallied at Edgewood Tahoe to successfully defend his title in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament. The former pitcher birdied seven of his first 13 holes and finished with a 29-point round for a five-point victory over Mardy Fish in the modified Stableford event.