Well-rested Murray earns first PGA victory
OPELIKA, Ala. — Grayson Murray unhappily found himself with a couple of extra days to prepare for the Barbasol Championship — and ended up with a breakthrough victory.
After missing the cut last weekend at the John Deere Classic, the rookie won his first PGA Tour title Sunday. He holed a five-foot par putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory.
Murray closed with a 3-underpar 68 to edge Chad Collins on Grand National’s Lake Course. The 23-year-old former Wake Forest and Arizona State player set up the winning par with a long putt from below the hole and finished at 21-under 263, a tournament record.
“I was in control,” said Murray, who earned $630,000. “I didn’t get out of my game plan once. I was going to let them make the mistakes instead of myself. I was going to make them have to birdie the last hole, or the last two holes.
“I was playing for par on 17 and 18. Those are two hard holes, and I knew if I parred both of those they would have to do something special to beat me.”
Murray arrived in Alabama a week earlier after suddenly finding himself with an open weekend. It paid off, with the win securing him a spot in the PGA Championship next month in his home state of North Carolina.
Murray came in ranked 124th in the FedEx Cup standings, with the top 125 at the end of the season qualifying for the playoffs. He jumped to 58th.
“My goal is to get in the playoffs this year,” he said. “That was my goal. I didn’t set my goals too high for my first year.”
Collins closed with a 68 two days after posting one of the tournament’s two rounds of 60. A tap-in for par on No. 18 left him waiting to see if Murray would stumble.
Collins had a run of four birdies in five holes leading into the 18th but missed a six-footer with a shot at another one and a potential tie with Murray. He still had his best result in a PGA Tour event.
Brian Gay had a 65 to tie for third at 19 under with Tag Ridings (69) and third-round leader Scott Stallings (71).
Kim wins again
SYLVANIA, Ohio — In-Kyung Kim rallied to win the Marathon Classic and become the second two-time winner this season on the LPGA Tour.
Two strokes behind 18-yearold Nelly Korda entering the round, Kim birdied six of the first nine holes and finished with an 8-under 63 for a four-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson.
Kim also won the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June in New Jersey. The six-time tour winner joined fellow South Korean player So Yeon Ryu as the only multiple winners this season.
The 29-year-old Kim finished at 21-under 263 at Highland Meadows Golf Club.
Thompson closed with a 66. Gerina Piller, the leader after each of the first two rounds, had a 68 to tie for third at 15 under with Peiyun Chien (68).
Ryder dominates
OMAHA, Neb. — Sam Ryder cruised to a dominant victory in the Pinnacle Bank Championship, finishing at 21 under par and eight strokes ahead of three golfers who shared second place.
Ryder’s third-round score of 9-under 62 gave him a seven-shot cushion after 54 holes at The Club at Indian Creek, and he didn’t falter Sunday, shooting his third 4-under 67 of the tournament for the first Web.com Tour win of his career. The 27-year-old moved from 17th to second on the tour’s winnings list for 2017 and secured a PGA Tour card for next season.
Scott Harrington (64), Michael Johnson (67) and Andrew Landry (66) — the tour’s winnings leader — were second.
Former Dalton High School golfer Blake Adams (72) tied for 46th at 5 under, while former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfers Jonathan Hodge (72) and Stephan Jaeger (71) were among those another stroke back in 54th. Jaeger dropped from first to third on the money list.