Teamwork pays off for Zurich Classic victors
AVONDALE, La. — When Scott Piercy tried to deflect credit to teammate Billy Horschel for their nervetesting, one-shot victory in the Zurich Classic, Horschel grinned and went with it.
“I’d like to thank myself for playing well this week,” Horschel began with a laugh.
“No, it was great to play with Scott. Our games match up well. We are really good ball-strikers. We think the same way. … I don’t have to worry about him making a bad decision.”
Playing in the same group as Jason Dufner and Pat Perez — who trailed by a stroke for the final seven holes — Horschel and Piercy calmly executed one pressure-packed shot after another Sunday, closing with a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 in alternate shot play that was just good enough.
“All four of us are really great friends. We were chatting it up the entire day — toward the end of the round, a little less,” Horschel said. “You’re going to be anxious, nervous. You’re heart’s going to be racing a little bit, but that says you’re alive. It says you’re alive and in the spot you want to be.”
Horschel became a twotime winner at TPC Louisiana. He captured his maiden PGA Tour triumph at the 2013 Zurich Classic when it was a traditional every-man-for-himself event.
Horschel and Piercy surged into the lead with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes, then followed that with seven straight pars. After Horschel narrowly missed a 23-foot birdie putt on 18 that was reminiscent of the one he sank to win on the same green five years ago, Dufner stood over a 14-foot putt for the tie. He left it a foot short.
“Last putt, I didn’t get aggressive with it. Just didn’t quite get speed matched up like I wanted to,” Dufner said before complimenting Horschel and Piercy on how hard they were to chase down. “They didn’t lose a tee all day — and that’s pretty tough in alternate shot.”
The victory was Horschel’s fifth and Piercy’s fourth. They each earned $1.04 million and 400 FedExCup points, but the result does not count toward the World Golf Ranking.
Heading into the final round, Scott Brown and Kevin Kisner, the 2017 runners-up in a playoff, topped a crowded leaderboard that featured 13 teams within four shots of the lead. By the time the top five teams all reached the back nine, they were within two shots of one another.
Brown and Kisner faded on the back nine for a 77, finishing tied for 15th at 15 under.
The team of Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel (68) was third at 20 under. Tied for fourth at 19 under were the teams of Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Paisley (69), and Brice Garnett and Chesson Hadley (71).
DALY CITY, Calif. — Lydia Ko’s 3-wood shot set up a threefoot eagle putt she sank to finish off Minjee Lee on the first hole of a playoff in the LPGA Mediheal Championship
Ko won her 15th tour title but first since July 2016, a 43-event stretch. Five days after turning 21, the New Zealander won for the third time at Lake Merced Golf Club. She finished first there in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in 2014 and 2015.
Lee, the 21-year-old Australian who won the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior title at Lake Merced, made birdie on the playoff hole, No. 18.
Ko had a 1-under 71 and Lee a 68 as they finished regulation at 12-under 276, four shots clear of the field.
Tied for third were Shanshan Feng (68), Charley Hull (70), Angel Yin (67) and Jessica Korda (74).
Eagle lands Ko a win
Bjork breaks through
BEIJING — Alexander Bjork closed with a 7-under 65 for a one-stroke victory over Adrian Otaegui at the China Open.
The 27-year-old Swede, who trailed co-leaders Otaegui and Matt Wallace by a stroke after 54 holes, finished at 18-under 270 as he earned his first European Tour victory.
Bjork avoided bogeys in the final round and made seven birdies, with four of them on the back nine at Topwin Golf and Country Club. Otaegui (67) had six birdies, including on No. 18, but made a bogey on No. 17, where Bjork had his final birdie.
Wallace (68), Jorge Campillo (67) and Jordan Smith (64) tied for third at 20 under.