Cantlay, Schauffele take the title at Zurich Classic
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele held off Sam Burns and Billy Horschel by two strokes Sunday in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans to complete a record-setting, wire-to-wire victory.
Cantlay and Schauffele closed with an even-par-72 in late afternoon showers in the alternate-shot final round to finish at 29-under 259 at breezy TPC Louisiana, two shots ahead of Burns and Horschel.
The Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup partners broke the tournament record of 27 under set by Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown and Jonas Blixt-Cameron Smith in 2017, the first year the event was as a team event. Cantlay and Schauffele are the first wire-to-wire winners since the tournament adopted the team format.
“It was a great week,” said Cantlay, a former standout at Servite High and UCLA. “Second time we’ve played this event and we were looking forward to it since last year. We really always enjoy being with each other, both on and off the golf course, and we both played exceptional this week and had a great time doing it.”
Cantlay and Schauffele opened with a record 59 in best-ball play Thursday, and began Sunday at 29 under after shattering the 54-hole record of 23 under.
Local favorite and LSU graduate Sam Burns and Billy Horschel pulled within one after birdieing the eighth, 10th and 11th holes. But Burns’ tee shot on the short par-4 16th found the water and a bogey on the par-3 17th left them three behind. They shot 68.
Doc Redman and Sam Ryder were third at 24 under after a 67.
Cantlay, the defending FedExCup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year, won his seventh tour title and first since the Tour Championship in September. He was second last week in the RBC Heritage.
Schauffele won for the fifth time. He last won at the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Cantlay and Schauffele eagled the par-5 seventh, with Cantlay hitting a 254yard second shot to set up Schauffele with a 7-foot putt.
After missing a 3-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 eighth, Schauffele missed the greens on the ninth and 10th holes, leading to consecutive bogeys and the five-shot lead was down to one over the charging Burns and Horschel.
Cantlay and Schauffele rebounded with a 3-foot birdie putt on the 11th and followed with six consecutive birdies before bogeying the par-5 closing hole.
Burns and Horschel pulled within one after birdieing Nos. 8, 10 and 11. But Burns’ tee shot on the short par-4 16th found the water and a bogey on the par-3 17th left them three behind.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and Ryan Palmer shot a 71 to tie for 18th at 18 under.
PGA Tour Champions
Scott Parel two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th hole for a 6-under 65, and then won the inaugural ClubCorp Classic in Irving, Texas with a par on the same hole in a playoff for his second PGA Tour Champions title.
Parel won a three-man playoff at Las Colinas over Steven Alker and Gene Sauers, who both went into the hazard on the closing hole and failed to make par.
Sauers birdied his last two holes in regulation for a 63. In the playoff, his shot bounced back into the rocks. After a penalty drop, he chipped to 8 feet and his par putt to extend the layoff caught the edge of the cup and spun out.
Alker had reason to feel even worse. After a double bogey to start the final round, he ran off seven birdies over his next nine holes and reached 12 under through 10 to seize control. But he never made another birdie, dropping a shot on the par-3 13th with a threeputt bogey.
On the final hole in regulation, Alker was just long and off the green and chipped down to 8 feet. Lee Janzen putted first from the same line and made birdie for a 67 to finish one shot out of the playoff.
Alker’s birdie missed. He shot 68 and joined the playoff at 11-under 202.
On the first extra hole, Alker had a long iron from a good lie in the rough but it came out heavy and into the water. He took a penalty drop and couldn’t get up and down.
DP World Tour
Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal shot 8-under 62 to win the ISPS Handa Championship in La Pineda, Spain for his seventh European tour title — and first on home soil.
Larrazábal made nine birdies and a bogey at the Lakes Course to secure a one-shot victory over countryman Adrian Otaegui (66).
Larrazábal finished with a 15-under 265 total. His first title of the year was at the MyGolfLife Open in South Africa.
Hennie Du Plessis of South Africa and Aaron Cockerill of Canada both shot 67s and tied for third, two shots behind Larrazábal.
Bad weather in northeast Spain had forced organizers to suspend the third round on Saturday with Scott Jamieson at the top. Jamieson shot even par to finish in a tie for 10th, eight shots off the lead