Holmes erases four-shot deficit to win Genesis Open

Thomas fades late as leaders trudge through 34 holes to complete play

LOS ANGELES — J.B. Holmes rallied from a four-shot deficit in the final round and won a marathon finish Sunday in the Genesis Open for his first victory in three years and a trip back to the Masters.

Holmes closed with a 1-under 70, and that was enough to overcome Justin Thomas, who took 19 putts on the back nine at Riviera — three of them from 8 feet when he lost the lead for good — and shot 75.

“I knew it was going to be very difficult to shoot a low score,” Holmes said. “I needed some help from Justin.”

They played 34 holes because of a sevenhour rain delay at the start of the tournament Thursday, and that wasn’t even the worst of

it. The final day featured a wild shift in weather, from sunshine in the morning to complete 16 holes of the third round, brief rain when they teed off in the final round and wicked wind that made it tough to hole putts.

There were three two-shot swings on the back nine, all because of putting.

The biggest moment was on the 13th hole, when Holmes was one shot behind and made a 12-footer for par. Thomas, who had lagged his birdie putt from 65 feet to 8 feet from the cup, three-putted from there for a double bogey to fall one shot behind.

He three-putted the next hole to fall back further, made an 8-foot birdie on the 16th to get with one but couldn’t catch up.

Holmes had his problems, too. Right when he took the lead for the first time — a birdie on the par-4 10th and a threeputt bogey from long range by Thomas — Holmes turned birdie into a shocking bogey when he three-putted from 3 feet.

Thomas, who looked sharp as ever in the morning in his round of 65 to build a big lead, missed a 6-foot birdie putt that would have tied for the lead at the par-5 17th after Holmes three-putted for par from 30 feet. He had one last chance to force a playoff, but his 20-foot birdie putt broke off to the right.

“I struggled putting in the wind out there,” Thomas said. “Unfortunately, it showed a flaw in my game. It was obviously very difficult. J.B. won. He played great.”

Tiger Woods shot 65 to finish his morning third round, though he was never in range of winning. Woods closed with a 72 in the afternoon, and tied for 15th. “I got tired,” Woods said. Adam Scott was right in the hunt until he missed six consecutive putts from under 10 feet that dropped him out of contention quickly. Si Woo Kim had a 66, the low score of the final round, and finished third. Rory McIlroy almost got back in the game when he holed a bunker shot on the 16th to get within two shots, but he failed to birdie the par-5 17th and was fooled by the wind in making bogey on the final hole for a 69. He tied for fourth with Marc Leishman (68).

Holmes finished at 14-under 270 for his first PGA Tour victory since the 2015 Houston Open, where he rallied from six shots behind.

LPGA: In Adelaide, Australia, Nelly Korda added to her family’s impressive sports pedigree Down Under with a win at the Women’s Australian Open.

Korda led by three strokes after the third round, increased it to four with a tap-in birdie on the 10th and added a 25-foot birdie on the 11th to make it a lead of five.

She had a third consecutive birdie on the 12th to help claim a two-stroke victory at The Grange Golf Club, finishing with a 17-under total of 271. Defending champion Jin Young Ko was second after a 64.

Korda’s father Petr was an Australian Open men’s tennis champion, winning the tournament in 1998. Her golfing sister Jessica won the Australian Open seven years ago.

And her tennis-playing brother Sebastian won the Australian Open boys’ singles title last year.

“I’m just happy to finally be a part of the club,” said the 20-year-old Korda at the trophy presentations.

TOUR CHAMPIONS: In Naples, Fla., Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Chubb Classic for his seventh PGA Tour Champions title, beating Bernhard Langer and Olin Browne with a 5-foot par putt on the first hole of a playoff.

Jimenez closed with a 5-under 66 at The Classics at Lely Resort to match Langer and Browne at 13-under 200. Langer shot 68, and Browne had a double bogey on the par-4 18th in regulation for a 66.

Jimenez, a 55-year-old Spaniard, has won in each of his six seasons on the 50-and-over tour.

Kevin Sutherland and Woody Austin each shot 69 to finish a shot out of the playoff.