Lee wins at Byron Nelson; Stricker goes wire-to-wire
K.H. Lee ran across the fairway to try to get a better view of the key shot in his second consecutive victory in the Byron Nelson.
The South Korean must have known it would be close, same as the low-scoring drama around him that included hometown favorite Jordan Spieth and a couple of other major winners in Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas.
Lee’s 240-yard shot on the par-5 12th hole stopped less than 5 feet from the pin, and the eagle put him in front for good Sunday on the way to a 9-under 63 and a one-shot victory over Spieth at birdie-besieged TPC Craig Ranch.
Spieth shot a 67 to finish a stroke ahead of Matsuyama (62) and Sebastián Muñoz (69), who held or shared the lead the first three rounds. Xander Schauffele had a career-best 61 and tied for fifth with Ryan Palmer (66) and Thomas (67).
A year ago, Lee was playing for a spot in the PGA Championship, where he’ll be again next week at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This time it was for a place in history as the 30-year-old joined Sam Snead (1957-58), Jack Nicklaus (1970-71) and Tom Watson (1978-80) as the only repeat winners at the Nelson. Lee finished at 26 under, one shot better than last year.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS » Steve Stricker completed at a wire-to-wire victory in the Regions Tradition, closing with a 4-under 68 for a six-stroke margin and his fourth PGA Tour Champions major title.
Stricker’s second Tradition win at Greystone Golf & Country Club came in his third event since returning from a six-month absence for health reasons. Two straight birdies punctuated the dominant performance.
He had his 20th consecutive round under par on the Founder’s Course, finishing at 21-under 267 for his eighth victory on the 50-and-over tour.
Stricker spent nearly two weeks in the hospital during his health scare and lost 25 pounds. His wife, Nicki, served as his caddie.
Paidrag Harrington finished second, birdieing the final two holes for a 68.
LPGA TOUR » LPGA scoring leader Minjee Lee made her only three birdies on the back nine and held off Lexi Thompson by two strokes in the Cognizant Founders Cup for her first victory of the year.
The 25-year-old Australian took the lead for good with a birdie on the par-5 14th hole at Upper Montclair Country Club. She closed with a 2-under 70, her only round not in the 60s, for a 72-hole total of 19-under 269 in the event that honors the 13 founding members of the LPGA Tour.
Lee won her seventh career title and first since taking her first major last year in the Evian Championship.
Looking for her first LPGA Tour win since 2019, Thompson closed with six straight pars for a 69.
Angel Yin (67) and Madelene Sagstrom (72) tied for third at 16 under. EUROPEAN TOUR » Sam Horsfield won the Soudal Open for his third European tour title, closing with a 3-under 68 for a two-stroke victory.
Horsfield’s other wins came in a two-week span in August 2020. The Englishman finished at 13-under 271.
Third-round leader Ryan Fox of New Zealand and Yannik Paul of Germany tied for second place. Fox shot a 71, and Paul had a 69. KORN FERRY TOUR » Anders Albertson two-putted for birdie on the final hole for a 4-under 66 and a onestroke victory over Korn Ferry Tour points leader Carl Yuan in the Visit Knoxville Open,
Albertson finished at 20 under at Holston Hills Country Club. He also won the tour’s 2018 Memorial Health Championship.
Yuan shot a 66.
OTHER TOURS » Shugo Imahira won the Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup at Oarai Golf Club for his sixth Japanese tour victory and first on the Asian Tour. Imahira closed with a 2-under 68 to finish at 8 under 272, a stroke ahead of amateur Kosuke Suzuki, Hiroshi Iwata, Kaito Onishi, and Yuto Katsuragawa. Imahira earned a spot in the British Open at St. Andrews in July . ... Belgium’s Manon De Roey won the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series—Bangkok individual title by three strokes, matching the course record with a closing 6-under 66.
She finished at 13 under at Thai Country Club. Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson was second after a 68. Second-round leader Patty Tavatanakit had a 73 to drop into a tie ford third at 8 under . ... Herman Loubser chipped in for birdie on the second hole of a playoff with South African countryman Ockie Strydom to win the Lombard Insurance Classic for his first Sunshine Tour title. Louber closed with a 3-under 69 to match Strydom at 7 under at Arabella Country Estate. ... Ayaka Watanabe birdied the second hole of a playoff with Sayaka Takahashi in the Hoken no Madoguchi Ladies for her first Japan LPGA victory of the season and fifth overall. Watanabe shot a 1-under 71 to match Takahashi at 11 under at Fukuoka Country Club . ... Min Ji Park successfully defended her title in the Korean LPGA’s NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship. She finished with a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke victory.