Ahead of the pack
Jerry Kelly won the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship.
Jerry Kelly seized control at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship with a hole in one on the 12th hole at Firestone in Akron, Ohio, sending him to a 1-under 69 and a two-shot victory Sunday for his first major on the PGA Tour Champions.
Kelly was clinging to a oneshot lead over Scott Parel when he hit a soft cut with a 5iron that landed in front of the hole and rolled in for an ace, eliciting a shout from one volunteer around the green.
From there, Kelly was on his way. His only big mistake came on the 18th when he could afford it. He found a bunker off the tee, his next shot hit a tree and dropped into rough below the limbs. He did well to get into the fringe and took three putts for a double bogey, knowing that was enough to win.
“It never goes as planned. It gets you sooner or later,” Kelly said, knowing that later in this case was late enough.
Parel, who wasted chances to put stress on Kelly earlier in the round, hit a tree from his approach in the fairway and made bogey to finish with a 70. Kelly, who finished at 3 under, and Parel were the only players to finish under par on the South Course at Firestone.
“Just to have a major out there is huge for me, not even getting that close on the regular tour,” Kelly said.
FedEx spot secured
Jim Herman rallied to win the Wyndham Championship for his third PGA Tour title and a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs, shooting a 7-under 63 for a onestroke victory over Billy Horshel in Greensboro, N.C.
Herman, 42, finished at 21under 259. Horschel closed with a 65. He had a final chance to tie on the 72nd hole, but his 8-foot birdie putt slid left of the cup.
Si Woo Kim, the thirdround leader, had a 70 to tie for third at 18 under with Kevin Kisner (64), Webb Simpson (65) and Doc Redman (68).
Four-way playoff winner
Stacy Lewis holed a long birdie putt to see off three rivals at the first playoff hole and win the Ladies Scottish Open in North Berwic, Scotland, giving the American her first title in nearly three years and a confidence boost ahead of the British Open this weekend at Royal Troon.
It was Lewis’ 13th victory on the LPGA Tour and first since the birth of her first child, Chesnee, in 2018.
Lewis, 35, started the final round a stroke off the lead held by Azahara Munoz, and shot 1-over 72 to join Munoz (73), Cheyenne Knight (70) and Emily Kristine Pedersen (68) in a four-way playoff at the Renaissance Club.
Two out of three
Sam Horsfield captured his second title in three weeks on the European Tour by winning the Celtic Classic in Newport, Wales, completing his bogey-free round of 4-under 67 in fading light to finish in front by two strokes. Horsfield, who began the day a stroke behind third-round leader Connor Syme, took the lead he never relinquished by making birdie at No. 3. Thomas Detry was the runner-up for the second week in a row.
Dramatic win
Tyler Strafaci birdied the final hole of the match to win the U.S. Amateur title over Charles Osborne at Brandon Dunes in Brandon, Ore. After being down by as many as five holes, Strafaci birdied the 566-yard 18th hole to win the seesaw 36hole match.