Horschel, Piercy win Zurich Classic
AVONDALE, LA. » Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy played bogey-free in the alternate-shot format and closed with a 5-under 67 to win the Zurich Classic.
Horschel and Piercy surged into the lead with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes and finished with seven pars to hold off Jason Dufner and Pat Perez. Dufner missed a 14-foot birdie putt on the last hole at TPC Louisiana that would have forced a playoff.
They finished at 22-under 266.
Horschel became a twotime winner at TPC Louisiana. He captured his maiden PGA Tour title at the 2013 Zurich Classic when it was an individual tournament.
The victory was Horschel’s fifth and Piercy’s fourth. They each earned $1.04 million. The team event did not count toward the world ranking, nor did they earn an automatic invitation to the Masters. They are eligible for the Tournament of Champions next January at Kapalua.
The format changed this year to end with foursomes in the final round, allowing for more movement on the leaderboard. Horschel and Piercy started the final round three shots behind and birdied the opening two holes.
Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown, who lost in a playoff at the Zurich Classic a year ago, had the 54-hole lead until fading on the back nine and closing with a 77.
Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel shot 68 and finished third.
Chris Paisley pitched in for eagle from just inside 50 yards on the final hole as he and Tommy Fleetwood tied for fourth with Brice Garnett and Chesson Hadley. LPGA TOUR » Lydia Ko hit a 3-wood to 3 feet for eagle to finish off Minjee Lee on the first hole of a playoff in the chilly LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship
Ko won her 15th LPGA Tour title and first since July 2016, a 43-event stretch marked by changes in instructors, caddies and equipment and a large weight loss. Five days after turning 21, the New Zealander won for the third time at Lake Merced after taking the Swinging Skirts LPGA in 2014 and 2015.
Twenty yards behind Lee in the fairway on the par-5 18th in the playoff, Ko hit a 3-wood that cleared the tree limbs on the right, landed in front of the green and rolled inches by on the right side.
Lee, the 21-year-old Australian who won the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Lake Merced, hit her second shot into the rough near the right greenside bunker and made a 10foot birdie putt.
Ko closed with a 1-under 71 to match Lee at 12-under 276. Lee had her second straight 68.
Ko holed a flop shot for birdie on the par-4 13th, twoputted for birdie on the par-5 15th and matched Lee with an up-and-down birdie on the 18th to force the playoff.
Lee holed out from a greenside bunker for birdie on the par-3 17th.
Korda, a stroke ahead of Ko and Lee with nine holes left, finished with a 74 to drop into a tie for third at 8 under with Angel Yin (67), Shanshan Feng (68) and Charley Hull (70). EUROPEAN TOUR » Alexander Bjork of Sweden closed with a 7-under 65 to claim a onestroke victory in the China Open for his first European Tour title.
Bjork, who trailed by one stroke going into the final round, made his final birdie on the 17th hole and finished at 18-under 270 at Topwin Golf and Country Club. And then he had to wait to see if it would be enough. Adrian Otaegui of Spain and Matt Wallace of England, who shared the 54-hole lead, each needed eagle on the par-5 18th to force a playoff.
Oategui made birdie for a 67 and was runner-up. Wallace (68) made par and shared third with Jordan Smith (64) and Jorge Campillo (68).
Wu Ashun had a 66-67 weekend and tied for seventh, the best finish among Chinese players. WEB.COM TOUR » Jose de Jesus Rodriguez of Mexico shot a 2-under 70 and won the United Leasing & Finance Championship by one shot over Wyndham Clark for his first Web.com Tour title.
Rodriguez started the final round one shot behind Maverick McNealey and seized control when he reached the turn at Victoria National. McNealey bogeyed No. 6, Rodriguez birdied the next two holes and McNealey dropped another shot at the ninth, giving the Mexican a three-shot lead going to the back nine.
Rodriguez dropped two shots over the last four holes, but by then he had the tournament wrapped up.
Clark closed with a 67 to finish alone in second. McNealey closed with a 74 and tied for third with KyoungHoon Lee (66).
Rodriguez won twice in 2011 on the Canadian tour, twice in 2013 on the Latin American tour and twice more last year to win the PGA Tour Latinoamerica money title. The 37-year-old Rodriguez moved to No. 3 on the money list and is virtually assured of earning a PGA Tour card for next year. OTHER TOURS » Former PGA champion Y.E. Yang had his fourth straight round of 3-under 67 for a four-shot victory in The Crowns on the Japan Golf Tour. It was Yang’s first victory in more than seven years, dating to the Korea Open in the fall of 2010 . ... Rourke van der Spuy closed with a 3-under 69 for a fourshot victory in the Zambia Open on the Sunshine Tour. ... Joachim Hansen captured his first European Challenge Tour victory with a 6-under 66 in the final round to win the Turkish Airlines Challenge . ... Daniel Gale won for the first time on the PGA Tour of Australasia by closing with a 6-under 65 in the SP PNG Open for a nine-shot victory . ... Ha Na Jang shot an even-par 72 for a two-shot victory over Hye Jin Choi and Ji Young Kim in the KLPGA Championship on the Korean LPGA Tour.