Finau wins 3M Open with late surge
Tony Finau shot a 4-under 67 to win the 3M Open by three strokes Sunday, erasing a five-stroke deficit with 11 holes left as Scott Piercy tumbled out of the lead down the stretch at windy TPC Twin Cities.
Piercy followed his tournament-record 54-hole score with a wince-inducing 76 to tie for fourth, four strokes back.
Finau finished at 17-under 267. Sungjae Im (68) and Emiliano Grillo (71) tied for second place. James Hahn surged up the board with a 65 to match Piercy and Tom Hoge (70) at 13 under. Piercy bogeyed four of six holes before a triple-bogey implosion on No. 14, allowing Finau — playing in the preceding trio — to take over for good on his way to his third career tour victory.
Finau made a 31-foot putt for birdie on the 15th green to strengthen his grip on the lead, as the 6-foot-4 Utah player calmly and confidently walked the TPC Twin Cities course in his white hat and aqua-striped polo. The surest sign this was Finau’s day came on No. 17. His tee shot clanged off the side of the grandstand, ricocheted back onto the green and rolled into the rough — just a few feet from the water. He landed the perfect chip within a foot of the hole to make the par 3, then smiled slightly as he playfully clamped his hand on his chest as if to pretend the sequence gave him heart trouble.
On the daunting par-5 18th, Finau found the water off the tee to face one final challenge. After the penalty stroke, his recovery shots were spot on. With Piercy looking on from the fairway, Finau made a 3-footer for bogey to seal it. He pumped his fist several times, took off his cap and walked off to embrace his family.
Darren Clarke birdied the last hole to beat a resurgent Padraig Harrington and win the Senior British Open by one shot on Sunday . ... Brooke Henderson rolled in an 8-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to win the Evian Championship by one stroke on Sunday, sealing her second major championship title.
Auto racing: Josef Newgarden collapsed in the motorhome lot following his late crash Sunday at Iowa Speedway and was taken to a Des Moines hospital by helicopter for evaluation. IndyCar medical director Dr. Geoffrey Billows said Newgarden was transported by helicopter to Mercy One Des Moines Medical Center because the infield care center lacked the equipment to properly evaluate the Team Penske driver, who cut open the back of his head when he collapsed. Billows said Newgarden was awake and alert.
Boxing: Muhammad Ali’s championship belt from his 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” heavyweight title fight has sold at auction for $6.18 million. Heritage Auctions in Dallas said Sunday that the winner of the heated competition for the belt was Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.
NFL: Texans rookie wide receiver John Metchie III announced Sunday that he has been diagnosed with a form of leukemia. In a statement posted on the Texans’ Twitter account, Metchie says he is getting treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia, “the most curable form,” and expects “to make a recovery at a later point in time.” ... Bills offensive lineman Rodger Saffold missed the start of training camp Sunday after sustaining rib injuries in a car accident.