Francesco Molinari wins the Quicken Loans National; Tiger Woods is fourth.
Italian’s 8-under 62 leaves National field playing for 2nd place
POTOMAC, Md. — Francesco Molinari proved himself correct and delivered a record performance to win the final edition of the Quicken Loans National.
Molinari holed a 50-foot eagle putt to start the back nine, and he never stopped until he turned the final round into a runaway Sunday at the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. The Italian closed with an 8-underpar 62 for an eight-stroke victory, matching the largest margin this year on the PGA Tour.
Molinari followed that eagle putt with an approach to within 2 feet on No. 11 — one of the hardest par 4s on tour that had yielded only one other birdie in the final round. He made three more birdies and ended his round by missing a birdie putt from 8 feet.
No matter. He finished at 21-under 259, breaking the tournament record by seven shots.
“It was a lot easier than I thought,” Molinari said with a wide grin. “I played great. The start of the back nine was incredible.”
Tiger Woods closed with a 66 — his lowest final round in more than five years — and he was never close. Woods tied for fourth — his best result since a runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship three months ago even though he was 10 shots behind.
Ryan Armour had a 68 to finish second, earning one of four spots to the British Open. The other three spots went to Sung Kang, who finished third after a 64; Abraham Ancer, who tied for fourth after a 72; and Bronson Burgoon, who had a day he won’t forget. He played with Woods for the first time and experienced larger crowds and louder noise than he had faced before. And with a birdie on the final hole for a 67, the former Texas A&M player from The Woodlands tied for sixth to earn his first trip to the British Open.
Molinari had been torn on where to play between Paris and Washington until the last minute.
Molinari’s decision to stay in America paid off in a big way. He is around the fringe of Ryder Cup qualifying, and the French Open was this week on the Ryder Cup course outside Paris. He also was No. 123 in the FedEx Cup, so Molinari decided to play the Quicken Loans National and the John Deere Classic in two weeks to improve his standing.
“Seems like it was the right choice in the end,” he said.
The victory, his second on the PGA Tour schedule, gives him a two-year exemption and moved him to No. 42 in the FedEx Cup.
Park outlasts Ryu in Women’s PGA
Sung Hyun Park beat So Yeon Ryu on the second hole of a playoff in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Kildeer, Ill., for her second major title.
After a brief rain delay on the par-4 16th hole at Kemper Lakes, Ryu’s birdie try rolled past, and Park finished off her South Korean compatriot with a 10footer. Park raised her arms and placed her hands on her head before hugging her caddie and wiping away tears.
Japanese teen Nasa Hataoko, after shooting an 8-under 64 to post at 10 under, dropped out of the playoff with a par on the par-4 18th.
Ryu made a 20-footer for birdie from the fringe, and Park followed from 10 feet.
Park, 24, who won the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open, closed with a 3-under 69; Ryu had a 73. She took a two-stroke lead on the 16th, but hit into the water on the par-3 17th en route to a double bogey. Park made a brilliant par save on No. 16.
Putting nets Toms Senior Open title
David Toms made one long putt to take the lead and then sank another one to preserve it on his way to a one-shot victory in the U.S. Senior Open in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Toms made a 15-foot birdie on the par-3 16th hole at the Broadmoor to take the lead and then held on with a 20-foot downhill make after laying up from a fairway bunker on the 17th hole.
He saved par with a downhill knee-knocker from 3 feet on No. 18 to close out the round of even-par 70. Toms finished at 3-under 277 to edge Jerry Kelly, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Tim Petrovic.
Toms, 52, won for the first time on the 50-and-over tour.
Jimenez (69) and Petrovic (70) each made birdies on the 18th to get to 2 under. Kelly (72) led after the first three rounds but finished the tourney without making a putt over 12 feet.