Australian outlasts two in 5-hole playoff for 1st PGA Tour win

Cam Davis holed a 50-foot sand shot on the 71st hole of regulation and that propelled him into a five-hole playoff where he outlasted Troy Merritt and Joaquin Niemann to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit for his first PGA Tour victory.

“It’s the only reason I’m sitting here now,” Davis said at a news conference alongside the trophy. “To be honest, in my head there wasn’t a thought of trying to hole it.”

Davis ultimately won when Merritt missed a 6-foot par putt on the fifth playoff hole.

Davis missed putts to win on each of the playoff holes.

The 26-year-old Australian left 6- and 18-foot putts high, a 25-foot putt low and a 19-footer high. He misread a break on a 12-foot putt on the fifth playoff hole and settled for a par, then won when Merritt made bogey.

“I just tried to put as much out of my mind as I could and just hit every shot for what it was worth,” Davis said.

“As simple as that’s said, it’s so hard to do when the pressure’s on like that. I just kept on putting good swings on it.

“I guess I didn’t make any putts, but I kept on putting it in play, so it worked out all right.”

Davis closed with a 5-under 67 to match Merritt (68) and Niemann (68) at 18-under 270 at Detroit Golf Club. Niemann dropped out of the playoff with a bogey on the first extra hole, his first bogey of the week.

“It’s hard to be standing here knowing that there is a playoff going on right now,” Niemann told reporters.

Niemann had a chance to win it on the 72nd hole, but left a 17-foot putt high.

“I should have won this tournament, but I mean, it is what it is,” Niemann said.

“I’m going to go rest next week and try to do my best for the [British] Open and the Olympics.”

Niemann had two shots that went 569 yards at 17 and he two-putted from 14 feet to take the lead at 18 under, but he quickly had company.

Merritt, who was in the final group with Niemann, made his fourth birdie in a five-hole stretch to share the lead at 17.

Davis joined the leaders with the eagle-birdie finish.

Strong close

Jin Young Ko closed with seven consecutive pars for a 2-under 69 and a one-shot victory in the Volunteers of America Classic, her first start since losing the No. 1 world ranking. Ko made a par putt from just outside 3 feet on the final hole at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, to beat Matilda Castren of Finland, who also shot 69.

Gaby Lopez of Mexico closed with a 65, making her only bogey on the final hole. She finished alone in third, two shots behind.

Beckman edges Els

Cameron Beckman ran off five straight birdies to start the back nine and then held on at the end for a 4-under 68 and a one-shot victory over Ernie Els in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y., his first title on the PGA Tour Champions that earned him a spot in the U.S. Senior Open next week. Els, who started the final round with a three-shot lead, closed with a 72 to finish second.

Beckman capped off his five birdies in a row with a 50-foot putt across the 14th green, and with Els making a pair of bogeys, Beckman suddenly had a four-shot lead with four holes to play.

Wire-to-wire win

Lucas Herbert of Australia closed with a 4-under 68 for thre-shot victory in the Irish Open in Thomastown, Ireland that earned him a spot in the British Open July 15-18 at Royal St. George’s. Rory McIlroy had a 73-74 weekend and tied for 59th.