Snedeker collects 3-stroke Wyndham win; playoffs loom

Brandt Snedeker began the Wyndham Championship with history — and ended it with a victory.

Snedeker earned his ninth PGA Tour title Sunday, three days after opening with an 11-under 59 in Greensboro, N.C. He closed with a 65 for a three-stroke victory in the regular-season finale, breaking a tie with C.T. Pan on the final hole with a birdie and Pan’s double bogey in the group ahead. Snedeker finished at 21-under 259 for his first win since 2016 and his second at the tournament, to close what he called “the most stressful week I’ve ever had in professional golf.”

“Shooting 59 on Thursday, your expectations go through the roof,” he said, also expressing pride that he could “cap it off the way we did today, to play pretty much a flawless round.”

Pan shot a 66 to tie for second with Webb Simpson. Simpson matched his career-best with a 62.

Snedeker opened the tournament with the 59 that made him the first tour player this year and just the 10th ever to break 60, then on the final day played 29 holes at 5 under to seal it. He’s the fifth tour player to shoot in the 50s and then win the tournament. He was never in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in his career, but the victory gave him a huge jump on the points list: up 50 spots to No. 30 after arriving at 80th.

The playoffs begin next week at The Northern Trust in New Jersey with the top 125 players qualifying. Sergio Garcia will miss the playoffs for the first time in his career, winding up 131st on the points list. Harris English and Nick Taylor played their way in.

LPGA: Sung Hyun Park erased a two-shot deficit over the final four holes and birdied the first hole of a playoff with Lizette Salas to win the Indy Women in Tech Championship. The two-time major champ reclaimed the No. 1 world ranking with her third LPGA Tour victory of the season and fifth of her career. Park closed with a 4-under 68 to match Salas at 23-under 265 at Brickyard Crosssing in Indianapolis.

European Tour: Paul Waring of England captured a first title in his 200th try, beating Thomas Aiken in a playoff to win the Nordea Masters in Molndal, Sweden.

Champions: Bart Bryant made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole in Endicott, N.Y., to win the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open for the second time in six years. He matched Michael Bradley’s closing birdie for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke victory.

U.S. Amateur: In Pebble Beach, Calif., Oklahoma State’s Viktor Hovland became the first Norwegian to win the U.S. Amateur, beating UCLA sophomore Devon Bling 6 and 5.

U.S. World Amateur team: Two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champ Kristen Gillman was picked to represent the U.S. in the World Amateur Team Championships. Gillman, a University of Alabama star from Austin, Texas, will be joined by Wake Forest’s Jennifer Kupcho and UCLA’s Lilia Vu.

U.S. Amateur semifinalist Cole Hammer of Houston, who will be a freshman at the University of Texas, was named to the men’s team along with Collin Morikawa (California) and Justin Suh (USC).