Chip off the old block
Kevin Tway joins dad as a PGA Tour winner
A stunning turn of events earned Kevin Tway a PGA Tour title.
Brandt Snedeker began Sunday with a three-shot lead and boosted the cushion to five at one point. He saw it all fall away as he made four bogeys on the closing nine to close out a 2-over-par 74 and drop into a three-way playoff at 14 under overall with Tway and Ryan Moore.
On the first playoff hole, the par-5
18th, Snedeker missed low and right on his 9-footer for birdie. Tway followed from 7 feet, draining his birdie putt to eliminate Snedeker. Moore than dropped his 5-footer to extend the playoff.
The playoff returned to the par-5 18th for the second extra hole, and Tway and Moore masterfully reached the green in two and lagged long eagle putts close for birdies.
The third playoff hole would come at the par-4 10th. Moore left himself some
25 feet for birdie in front of the green while Tway knocked his approach to 12 feet for birdie.
Moore couldn’t get his putt to drop from the fronting fairway, and Tway drained his birdie putt on the green.
Tway, 30, earned his first PGA Tour title with this triumph. He birdied his fi- nal two holes of regulation and all three playoff holes, meaning it took five consecutive birdies at the end to close out the title.
The son of 1986 PGA Championship winner Bob Tway, Kevin won on the Web.com Tour in 2013 and did well enough that season to earn his PGA Tour card. But it wasn’t smooth sailing from there. He missed 15 of 23 cuts the follow- ing PGA Tour season and lost his card.
He wouldn’t regain his card again until a 13th-place showing in the 2016 Web.com Tour Finals. His second PGA Tour campaign (2016-17) was much improved as he had two thirds and finished 72nd in FedExCup points to easily retain his card. Last season, his results didn’t change much and he was 85th in the standings.
But this could mean a different level for Tway, who is now exempt on the PGA Tour through the 2020-21 season thanks to this victory. Tway headed straight to Malaysia for the CIMB Classic this week and said talking to caddie Marc Sambol about the overnight flight helped keep him from feeling too much pressure throughout the round Sunday.
Tway will have the chance to savor the victory, think about his now-impending Masters debut next April and the fact that his dad was right all along.
“He always told me I had the talent and I don’t think I believed him until now,” Tway said. “It feels great.”
Short shots: Phil Mickelson opened
65-69 but went 74-72 on the weekend. Still, it’s a fine tie for 17th at 8 under. … Bud Cauley, in his first start back from a scary car crash this year, tied for 46th at
4 under. … Sepp Straka, the first-round leader, also tied for 46th.