Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Aussies Leishman And Smith Pair To Playoff Win
Aussies Leishman And Smith Pair To Playoff Win
Australia’s Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith parred the first playoff hole to win the US PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans over the South African duo of Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. Both teams finished Sunday’s foursomes final round at TPC Louisiana at 20-under 268.
When they returned to the par-five 18th to play the first hole of sudden death in alternate-shot format, Oosthuizen put his tee shot into the water guarding the right side of the hole, opening the door for Leishman and Smith.
The Australian pair had started the day one stroke behind Oosthuizen and Schwartzel but pulled level after three birdies on the front nine.
After the South Africans bogeyed the 10th, Leishman and Smith gained a twoshot lead with a birdie at the 11th, only to surrender it with bogeys at 13 and 15, where Oosthuizen and Schwartzel’s birdie was just the fourth of the day at the tough par-four.
An unlikely birdie at 16, where Smith was in the water off the tee but Leishman holed a 23-foot chip, saw the Australians pull level again. They stayed that way as both teams bogeyed 17 and parred 18.
“That back nine was brutal,” said Smith, who notched his third PGA Tour title and his second Zurich Classic crown, “But we hung in there and we won.”
The Aussie teammates had fun with the format all week, Leishman paying tribute to Smith’s increasingly famous mullet hairstyle by donning a mullet wig prior to Saturday’s four-ball third round.
The demands of the final-round alternate-shot format left little time for frivolity, but both Smith and Leishman said teaming with a friend for a victory
was special. “We had such a good week on and off the golf course,” Smith said. “Something I’ll never forget for sure.”
Leishman called the experience amazing. “Not very often you get to celebrate together,” he said. “You celebrate with your caddie and your team, but to be able to do it with a fellow player and a mate, it’s as good as it gets, really.”
With that camaraderie in mind, Leishman said he had no intention of giving Smith “a little jab or something” after his teammate dunked his tee shot in the water at 16.
“Cam actually hit a really good tee shot there and just the wind got it a bit more than we thought,” said Leishman, who after the drop stepped up and chipped in for a birdie that pulled them level.
Despite the disappointment, both Oosthuizen and Schwartzel were pleased with their round in the demanding foursomes format.
“The idea was to give ourselves as many birdie putts as we can and we did that,” Schwartzel said. “It probably could have gone any way out there today.”