Schauffele tops Finau in playoff, wins HSBC
SHANGHAI – Xander Schauffele gave the Americans a sweep of the World Golf Championships and quickly put a winless sophomore season behind him.
Schauffele made birdie on his final three holes Sunday, the last one a twoputt birdie from about 30 feet on the par-5 18th hole to beat Tony Finau in a sudden-death playoff and win the HSBC Champions.
“When I was signing my card, I was like, ‘Oh, wow. I actually went birdiebirdie to get in the playoff,” Schauffele said. “I was just in my own world out there.”
He began the tournament by celebrating his 25th birthday. He ended it with one clutch shot after another in the closing stretch at Sheshan International for a 4-under 68, the lowest score of the final round, and his first victory in 13 months.
Schauffele won twice in his first year on the PGA Tour to win rookie of the year. Last season featured high finishes, but only one good chance at winning when he was a runner-up in the British Open at Carnoustie. Now he has three victories, the last two at the Tour Championship to end the 2017 season and now a World Golf Championship.
Finau, who started the final round with a three-shot lead in his bid for a second PGA Tour-sanctioned victory, was ahead by one shot until Schauffele made an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, only the fourth player to make birdie on that hole Sunday.
Defending champion Justin Rose missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 17th and went to the final hole two shots behind. Trying to make eagle, he went from the bunker to the rough to over the green and into the water, making a bogey for a 72 to finish four shots behind.
That meant Brooks Koepka, who closed with a 69 and tied for 16th, stayed at No. 1 in the world for at least another week.
Then, it was a battle between the two Americans.
Finau faced a risky shot from his ball sitting high in the rough by going for the green. It narrowly cleared the water, leaving him an eagle putt from about 35 feet that he placed to a few feet from the cup. Schauffele’s second shot into the par-5 18th landed on the putting surface and rolled just over the back as the 25-yearold American said, “Sit!” six times before it settled just off the green.
He ran his eagle putt 3 feet by and made that for birdie. He and Finau finished at 14-under 274.
In the playoff, Schauffele again hit the fairway and hit a 5-iron to the middle of the green. Finau went into the face of the bunker on the left, had no choice but to lay up, and his third shot was 20 feet on the fringe. He missed his birdie putt to extend the playoff.
“Definitely feel like I let one get away,” said Finau, whose only PGA Tour victory was at the Puerto Rico Open two years ago. “Xander played incredible golf today. It was playing tough out there. He posted a number and made birdie on a playoff hole when it counted. Hats off to him. He played nicely today and deserved to win.”
The United States becomes the first country to have four players win the four World Golf Championships. Phil Mickelson won the Mexico Championship, Bubba Watson won the Dell Match Play and Justin Thomas won the Bridgestone Invitational.
The Americans also won all four WGCs in 2013 when Tiger Woods won two of them, Matt Kuchar won the Match Play and Dustin Johnson won in Shanghai. Americans now have won 41 of the 69 events since the World Golf Championships series began in 1999. Woods has won 18 of them.
PGA Tour
JACKSON, Miss. – Cameron Champ birdied five of the last six holes to win the Sanderson Farms Championship, recovering for his first PGA Tour victory after giving up a four-shot lead.
The 23-year-old Champ won in his ninth career tour start, closing with a 4under 68 for a four-stroke victory. He finished at 21-under 267 in the wire-to-wire victory at the Country Club of Jackson.
Champ began the day four shots ahead, but played the front nine in 1 over to fall into a tie. Corey Conners pulled even on No. 9 with a 13-foot birdie putt, but Champ pulled away on the back nine with four straight birdies on Nos. 13-16. Conners had a 68 to finish second.
“The front side, there were some nerves, but on the back side I brought it all together and finished strong. It was awesome,” Champ said.
Carlos Ortiz (64) and Sam Burns (68) were six shots back.
LPGA Tour
TAOYUAN, Taiwan – Nelly Korda shot a 4-under 68 to win the Taiwan Championship for her first LPGA tour title.
Korda – the younger sister of Jessica Korda, who has won five titles on the LPGA tour – had an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole and added two more birdies at the Ta Shee Golf and Country Club to finish at 13-under 275. She was two strokes ahead of Minjee Lee, who shot a bogeyfree 66.
Ryann O’Toole carded seven birdies against a pair of bogeys for a 67 and sole possession of third place at 10-under 278.
Carlota Ciganda offset two bogeys with five birdies for a 69 that left her tied for fourth with Megan Khang (71).
Local favorite Wei-Ling Hsu, who held a share of the lead with Korda after the third round, had five bogeys and closed with a 74 to finish tied for sixth with Lydia Ko (72).
PGA Tour Champions
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Scott Parel won the Invesco QQQ Championship on Sunday, taking the PGA Tour Champions playoff event for his second victory in two months.
Parel shot a 4-under 68, parring the final five holes at Sherwood Country Club to hold off Paul Goydos by a stroke. Parel finished at 11-under 205, birdieing the two back-nine par 5s in a bogey-free round.
The 53-year-old Parel jumped from sixth to second in the season standings, with the top 36 qualifying for the seasonending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in two weeks at Phoenix Country Club. He won the Boeing Classic in late August for his first tour victory.
Goydos parred the final four holes in a 67. He went from 22nd to 14th in the standings. Kenny Perry shot 67 to tie for third with David McKenzie (70) and Stephen Ames (71) at 8 under. Season points leader Bernhard Langer had a 70 to get to 7 under.