Landry is toast of Texas
Andrew Landry won the Valero Texas Open yesterday for his first PGA Tour victory, pulling away with early birdies and holding on with par saves in San Antonio.
The 30-year-old Texan, busy at home in Austin with the recent birth of the family’s first child, parred the final seven holes for a 4-under-par 68 and a 2-stroke victory over Trey Mullinax and Sean O’Hair.
“It was obviously a tough week this week,” Landry said. “Going into the last few weeks with the childbirth and just really getting back out.”
Landry played at Arkansas after starring at Port Neches-Groves High School east of Houston. Many family members were at TPC San Antonio yesterday.
“Everybody was out,” Landry said. “It was pretty special to be able to snag a victory with everybody being here to share it.”
Landry finished at 17-under 271. He earned $1,116,000 and a spot in the Masters next year.
“I didn’t even really think about it, to be honest with you,” Landry said. “There’s a lot of perks for a tour win and you’ve just got to continue to stay focused and not think about those kind of things.”
Landry took a 2-stroke lead to the par-5 18th after Mullinax chunked a flop shot and bogeyed the short par-4 17th. Landry hit a 55foot putt over a ridge to 3 feet for par on 17 and made an 8-footer on 18 after running a 50-foot downhill birdie try past.
Mullinax closed with a 69 a day after breaking the AT&T Oaks Course record with a 62.
“Just a lot of confidence. I know my game’s there, I’m playing really well,” Mullinax said. “Give all credit to Andrew. He played really well today, rock steady. He was putting great, hitting great shots.”
O’Hair shot 66. “When I’m good, I’m really good, and when I’m not good, I’m not so good,” O’Hair said. “I’ve got to kind of get that a little bit better, but it’s always nice to compete and be in the hunt.”
Tied for the third-round lead with Zach Johnson, Landry birdied the first three holes and added two more on No. 6 and No. 10. He bogeyed the par-4 11th before the closing par run.
“Made a couple putts and, unfortunately, Zach and Trey kind of had some hiccups there on the front nine and they didn’t play it as well as I did,” Landry said. “I think that that was really, really key to getting to where I am right now.”
Landry won in his 32nd PGA Tour start. He earned his tour card last year on the Web.com Tour, and lost a playoff to Jon Rahm in January in the CareerBuilder Challenge.
“It helps because you get yourself in that situation and you continue to learn,” Landry said. “Losing in that playoff when I was continuing to hit good shot after good shot, just not making any putts. Normally that’s a strength of my game. Now here we are, a winner.” Jimmy Walker was fourth at 14-under on his second 67.
New lPGa sister act
Moriya Jutanugarn won the HUGEL-JTBC LA Open by 2 shots for her first victory in six years on the LPGA Tour in Los Angeles, joining sister Ariya as the second siblings to win on the tour.
The 23-year-old from Thailand shot a 3-under 68 to finish at 12-under 272 at Wilshire Country Club in the tour’s return to Los Angeles after a 13-year absence.
Jutanugarn won in her 156th start after three career runner-up finishes, including at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February. She notched 21 top-10 finishes before winning.
Seven-time winner Ariya tied for 24th after a 70.
Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam were the first sisters to win on the LPGA Tour.
Hall of Famer Inbee Park (68) and Jin Young Ko (70) tied for second, 2 strokes back.
legends were made
Kirk Triplett holed out from a bunker for birdie on the first playoff hole in the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf to lift himself and partner Paul Broadhurst past Bernhard Langer and Tom Lehman in Ridgedale, Mo.
Broadhurst and Triplett closed with a 6-under 48 on the Top of the Rock par3 course to match Langer and Lehman at 24-under. Langer and Lehman had a 47, playing the front nine in alternate shot and the back nine in better ball.
Triplett, 56, won his sixth PGA Tour Champions title, Broadhurst, 52, got his third.