Ortiz earns first PGA Tour title in Houston
HOUSTON – Consider 118 a lucky number for Carlos Ortiz.
The veteran from Guadalajara, Mexico, needed that many PGA Tour events to finally capture his first victory, but it was a special one – his 65 on Sunday was enough to edge Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama and capture the Vivint Houston Open.
Ortiz had been showing signs he was ready to break through, making three cuts in five starts this season, but he’d yet to crack the top 30. He came into Houston ranked 160th in the Official World Golf Ranking (and 136 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings) but looked surprisingly comfortable as he fired a bogey-free round Sunday to finish the tournament at 13 under.
“It’s unbelievable the way this feels. I played great, and it was challenging at the end. I saw there’s a couple people playing really good, too, so I knew I couldn’t just like lay it up to the greens and then expect to win, so I had to finish strong,” Ortiz said. “I hit an amazing shot on 16 and obviously finishing with this birdie helped, too.”
While others slipped on the back nine, Ortiz seemed to gain strength there, finishing in convincing style – he buried a 22-foot putt for birdie to seal the deal on the 18th hole.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s goal was to get his game in top gear after a lengthy COVID quarantine and with the Masters approaching quickly on the horizon. Consider his motor up and running. The World No. 1 missed a few chances down the stretch, but he proved he’s ready to contend for his first green jacket this week. Johnson shot a 65, although he did miss chances on Nos. 16 and 17 that would have pulled him even with Ortiz.
Hideki Matsuyama pulled into a tie for the lead but barely missed a putt on 18 that would have forced the issue and shot 63 to finish at 11 under.