SPIETH WINS TRAVELERS PLAYOFF WITH BUNKER SHOT
A 60-foot bunker shot on first extra hole tops Berger to win Travelers.
Jordan Spieth needed an extra hole, a little bit of luck and an amazing final shot to finish off a wire-to-wire victory in the Travelers Championship.
The two-time major champion holed out from 60 feet for birdie from a greenside bunker on the first hole of a playoff with Daniel Berger on Sunday at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn.
The 23-year-old joined Tiger Woods as the only PGA Tour players with 10 victories before the age of 24 in the era since World War II. Woods won 15 times before he turned 24.
“That was one for the ages,” said Spieth, also the winner at Pebble Beach in February.
Spieth held a one-stroke edge after each of the first three rounds. He closed with an even 70 to match Berger — who birdied three of the final six holes for a 67 — at 12-under 268.
Berger, the Memphis winner
two weeks ago before missing the cut last week at the U.S. Open, just missed a 50-foot putt from off the 18th green left that would have forced a second playoff hole.
“Jordan does Jordan things,” Berger said. “So there’s not really much you can say. I’m obviously disappointed, but happy to be in the position I was in today.”
Berger began the round in third place, three shots back. He tied Spieth for a lead with a 5-foot birdie putt on 15 as Spieth was making bogey on 14 and tied him again with a birdie from 8 feet at 17.
The pair, playing a group apart, both hit their approach shots on 18 into the same greenside bunker. Both chipped out close to the hole and both saved par to force the playoff.
Berger hit his drive on the first playoff hole left and into the crowd behind a fairway bunker. Spieth seemed to clip a tree left landing in the fairway but about 150 yards short of his normal drive and 230 yards from the hole.
Spieth’s approach fell into bunker. Berger’s ran off the green to the left.
Spieth had to back up after hitting his bunker shot to see the hole. When the ball rolled straight in the cup he threw his club and did a flying chest bump into caddie Michael Greller.
“If I was in Berger’s shoes, I’d be cursing Jordan Spieth right now for the break off the tee and then holing a 30-yard bunker shot, that’s a lot of luck,” Spieth said.
Charley Hoffman (66) and Danny Lee (67) tied for third, three strokes back.
Boo Weekley, who began the round a shot back, shot 37 on the back nine to tie at 9 under with the support of a large gallery, which could be heard cheering “Boooo!” and “Boo-S-A!” every time he did something good.
Rory McIlroy tried to find his short game during the weekend and used his third putter Sunday to help him shoot a 64, his lowest round on the tour this season. He tied for 17th at 6 under.
“I must say I felt a little more comfortable on the greens than I did the previous three days,” McIlroy said. “So, this might be one that stays (in the bag) for a few weeks.”
Defending champion Russell Knox had six bogeys in his first 10 holes and shot a
73 to finish at even.
Champions Tour: Fred Couples rallied to win the American Family Insurance Open in Madison, Wis., for his second tour title of the year and 13th overall.
Couples, 57, closed with a 6-under 66 for a two-stroke victory over Scott Verplank, who shot a 69. Couples birdied six of the first 11 holes and finished at 15-under 201.
Couples also won the 50-and-over tour’s Chubb Classic in February in Florida. The Hall of Famer, long hampered by back problems, won 15 times on the PGA Tour.
Tournament host Steve Stricker (69) and Joe Durant (67) tied for third at 12 under.
LPGA Tour: So Yeon Ryu became the tour’s first twotime winner this season, taking the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers with a tournament-record 18-under 195 total.
Five strokes ahead after a course-record 10-under 61 Saturday, Ryu closed with a 69 for a two-shot victory over fellow South Korean player Amy Yang and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn. Yang finished with a 64, and Jutanugarn had a 66. Local favorite Stacy Lewis (69) and Michelle Wie (64) tied for fourth at 13 under.
European Tour: Andres Romero had seven birdies in his last 11 holes to win the BMW International Open by one stroke in Munich. The 837th-ranked Romero carded a bogey-free round of 65 to finish at 17-under 271 overall, a shot better than Thomas Detry (66) and overnight leaders Sergio Garcia (69) and Richard Bland (69).