HORSCHEL, PIERCY WIN ZURICH CLASSIC
LA.» Billy Horschel and AVONDALE,
Scott Piercy played bogey-free in the alternate-shot format and closed with a 5-under 67 to win the Zurich Classic.
Horschel and Piercy surged into the lead with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes and finished with seven pars to hold off Jason Dufner and Pat Perez. Dufner missed a 14-foot birdie putt on the last hole at TPC Louisiana that would have forced a playoff. They finished at 22-under 266. Horschel became a two-time winner at TPC Louisiana. He captured his maiden PGA Tour title at the 2013 Zurich Classic when it was an individual tournament.
The victory was Horschel’s fifth and Piercy’s fourth. They each earned $1.04 million. The team event did not count toward the world ranking, nor did they earn an automatic invitation to the Masters. They are eligible for the Tournament of Champions next January at Kapalua.
The format changed this year to end with foursomes in the final round, allowing for more movement on the leaderboard. Horschel and Piercy started the final round three shots behind and birdied the opening two holes.
Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown, who lost in a playoff at the Zurich Classic a year ago, had the 54-hole lead until fading on the back nine and closing with a 77.
Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel shot 68 and finished third.
Chris Paisley pitched in for eagle from just inside 50 yards on the final hole as he and Tommy Fleetwood tied for fourth with Brice Garnett and Chesson Hadley.
LPGA Tour.
CALIF.» Lydia DALY CITY,
Ko hit a 3-wood to 3 feet for eagle to finish off Minjee Lee on the first hole of a playoff Sunday in the chilly LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship
Ko won her 15th LPGA Tour title and first since July 2016, a 43-event stretch marked by changes in instructors, caddies and equipment and a large weight loss. Five days after turning 21, the New Zealander won for the third time at Lake Merced after taking the Swinging Skirts LPGA at the tree-lined layout in 2014 and 2015.
Twenty yards behind Lee in the fairway on the par-5 18th in the playoff, Ko hit a 3-wood that cleared the tree limbs on the right, landed in front of the green and rolled inches by on the right side.
Lee, the 21-year-old Australian who won the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Lake Merced, hit her second shot into the rough near the right greenside bunker and made a 10-foot birdie putt.
Ko closed with a 1-under 71 to match Lee at 12-under 276. Lee had her second straight 68.
Ko holed a flop shot for birdie on the par-4 13th, two-putted for birdie on the par-5 15th and matched Lee with an up-and-down birdie on the 18th to force the playoff.
Playing in the group ahead of Ko and Jessica Korda, Lee holed out from a greenside bunker for birdie on the par-3 17th.
Korda, a stroke ahead of Ko and Lee with nine holes left, finished with a 74 to drop into a tie for third at 8 under with Angel Yin (67), Shanshan Feng (68) and Charley Hull (70).
Web.com Tour.
IND.» Jose NEWBURGH, de Jesus Rodriguez of Mexico shot a 2-under 70 and won the United Leasing & Finance Championship by one shot over Wyndham Clark for his first Web.com Tour title.
Rodriguez started the final round one shot behind Maverick McNealey and seized control when he reached the turn at Victoria National. McNealey bogeyed No. 6, Rodriguez birdied the next two holes and McNealey dropped another shot at the ninth, giving the Mexican a three-shot lead going to the back nine.
Rodriguez dropped two shots over the last four holes, but by then he had the tournament wrapped up.
Clark closed with a 67 to finish alone in second. McNealey closed with a 74 and tied for third with Kyoung-Hoon Lee (66).