Walk-off Holmes run caps marathon day
Rally from four-shot deficit sinks Thomas, nets Riviera triumph
LOS ANGELES — J.B. Holmes rallied from a four-shot deficit in the final round and won a marathon finish Sunday in the Genesis Open for his first victory in three years and a trip back to the Masters.
Holmes closed with a 1-under-par 70, and that was enough to overcome Justin Thomas, who took 19 putts on the back nine at Riviera — three of them from 8 feet when he lost the lead for good — and shot 75.
“I knew it was going to be very difficult to shoot a low score,” Holmes said. “I needed some help from Justin.”
They played 34 holes because of a seven-hour rain delay at the start of the tournament Thursday, and that wasn’t even the worst of it.
The final day featured a wild shift in weather, from sunshine in the morning to complete 16 holes of the third round, brief rain when they teed off in the final round and wicked wind that made holing putts difficult.
There were three two-shot swings on the back nine, all because of putting.
The biggest moment was on the 13th hole, when Holmes was one shot behind and made a 12-footer for par. Thomas, who had lagged his birdie putt from 65 feet to 8 feet from the cup, three-putted from there for a double bogey to fall one shot behind.
He three-putted the next hole to fall back further and made an 8-foot birdie on the 16th to get with one but couldn’t catch up.
Holmes had his problems, too. Right when he took the lead for the first time — a birdie on the par-4 10th and a three-putt bogey from long range by Thomas — Holmes turned birdie into a shocking bogey when he three-putted from 3 feet.
Thomas, who looked sharp as ever in the morning in his round of 65 to build a big lead, missed a 6-foot birdie putt that would have tied for the lead at the par-5 17th after Holmes three-putted for par from 30 feet.
Thomas had one last chance to force a playoff, but his 20-foot birdie putt broke off to the right.
UNLV product Adam Scott, who entered Sunday one shot out of the lead, shot 5-over 76 and finished tied for seventh.
Tiger Woods shot 65 to finish his morning third round, though he never was in range of winning. He closed with a 72 in the afternoon and tied for 15th.
At Adelaide, Australia, Nelly Korda shot a 5-under 67 for a 17-under 271 total and a two-shot victory over defending champion Jin Young Ko (64) in the Women’s Australian Open, adding to her family’s impressive sports pedigree Down Under.
LPGA:
Her father, Petr Korda, won his lone Grand Slam tennis title in the 1998 Australian Open. Her older sister, Jessica Korda, won the Women’s Australian Open seven years ago. Her brother, Sebastian, won the Australian Open boys singles title last year.
“I’m just happy to finally be a part of the club,” said the 20-year-old Korda, who went into the final round at The Grange Club with a three-shot lead that she stretched to as many as five. “There’s maybe something in the air here. We really enjoy our time here.”
Champions:
At Naples, Fla., Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Chubb Classic for his seventh tour title, beating Bernhard Langer and Olin Browne with a 5-foot par putt on the first playoff hole.
Jimenez closed with a 5-under
66 at The Classics at Lely Resort to match Langer (68) and Browne (66) at 13-under 200. Browne had a double bogey on the par-4 18th in regulation.
Jimenez, 55, has won in each of his six seasons on the 50-and-over tour, including twice last season. Langer, 61, the Oasis Championship winner the previous week, won the Chubb Classic in 2011, 2013 and 2016.
At Perth, Australia, Ryan Fox of New Zealand won his first tour title with a 3-and-2 victory over Adrian Oategui of Spain in the World Super 6 final.
Fox was 8 under par in 54 holes of stroke play to earn a bye into the six-hole match-play portion of the event. He then outlasted Jazz Janewattananond after three shootout holes when their match ended in a draw, followed by 1-up wins over Kristoffer Reitan or Norway and Paul Dunne of Ireland, to reach the final.
European PGA: