TRY, TRY, TRY AGAIN
DECHAMBEAU WINS MEMORIAL TOURNEY
DUBLIN, Ohio — For the fourth straight year, Bryson DeChambeau was able to leave Ohio feeling like a winner.
This time he had a trophy to show for it and a handshake with Jack Nicklaus to remember.
DeChambeau finally made it easy on himself the third time playing the 18th hole at Muirfield Village Golf Club on Sunday, rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to beat Byeong Hun An and win the Memorial Tournament.
“I can’t believe I did it,” said DeChambeau, a winner for the second time on the PGA Tour.
He had played this Nicklaus-founded event only once before, though the 24-year-old Californian has been a regular in central Ohio. He made it through a 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier each of the past three years, all in the Columbus area.
This appeared to be far more rewarding. DeChambeau watched his winning putt disappear and raised both arms, pumping them seven times as he yelled above the cheers of fans. Many of them lingered at the 18th green after spending much of the final round as if this might be the day Tiger Woods returned to winning.
Woods was never a serious factor, though, especially after missing a three-foot par putt on the 10th hole and hitting another tee shot into someone’s backyard on the 13th. One of his best weeks hitting the ball ended with a par round of 72 that made him part of a six-way tie for 23rd at 9 under.
The tournament’s finish was no less entertaining minus Woods. DeChambeau went from a two-shot deficit at the turn to a one-shot lead after No. 12, and he kept it the rest of the way until a threeputt bogey from about 55 feet on the 18th hole for a 71. That tied with An, who had closed with a 69 in the group ahead and was the first to reach 15-under 273.
Kyle Stanley joined them in the playoff. He hit into the water on the par-3 12th to fall five shots behind with six holes to play, only to run off four straight birdies, capping the big run with a 30-foot putt on the 17th to tie DeChambeau.
Stanley hit a tree on the right elbow of the dogleg at No. 18, though, and it shot the ball across the fairway and nearly into a creek, except the ankledeep rough was thick enough to slow it. Even so, he could only advance the ball 100 yards and made bogey for a 70.
In the playoff, his first tee shot was enough to the right that the ball was well above his feet in thick grass. Stanley choked up and took a swing, but the ball squirted out about 30 yards to the right, leading to another bogey as he was quickly eliminated.
An took some of the pressure off DeChambeau on the second playoff hole, again on No. 18, when he yanked his approach into the gallery. He played a marvelous flop shot out of deep rough to a couple of feet away from the hole for a certain par, but DeChambeau hit his approach 12 feet behind the hole and made the birdie.
“I finally got it right the third time,” DeChambeau said. “It took me a little bit.”
Patrick Cantlay (71) was a stroke out of the playoff, Peter Uihlein (66) was another shot behind and 19-year-old Chilean Joaquin Niemann birdied the 18th to tie Justin Rose (70) for sixth at 12 under. That was enough for Niemann to earn special temporary membership on the PGA Tour, meaning he can accept unlimited sponsor exemptions.
Baylor School graduate Luke List (71) shared 27th at 6 under.
Hard-earned win
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Ariya Jutanugarn had a huge lead, completely lost it and then prevailed on the fourth hole of a playoff to win a dramatic U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek Club.
The 22-year-old from Thailand made a clutch bunker shot to within a foot of the hole to save par, beating South Korea’s Hyo-Joo Kim, who shot a 5-under 67 in the final round to force the playoff.
Jutanugarn started the day with a four-shot lead over Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith and looked like she might win easily after playing the front nine in 4 under to stretch her lead to seven shots.
But a triple bogey on No. 10 cut the lead to four and seemed to shake her confidence. She had a twoshot lead with two holes remaining but closed with back-to-back bogeys for a 73 and finished regulation at 11-under 277.
Carlota Ciganda (69) was third, four strokes behind.
Olesen holds on
BRESCIA, Italy — Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen sank a 10-foot putt on the final hole to win the Italian Open and avoid a playoff with Francesco Molinari in his home country.
Olesen closed with a 7-under 64 and finished at 22-under 262 overall. The one-stroke win is his fifth European Tour victory.
Molinari (65) made things tough when he made a 30-putt birdie putt on the par-4 18th. Olesen made things tougher when his second shot sent the ball into a green-side bunker after driving into the rough, but he stayed calm while getting up and down.
Molinari had just two bogeys in the tournament, but one came on the 17th hole Sunday.
Lee Slattery (67) was another stroke back in third.