Snedeker finally gets a win
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Brandt Snedeker didn’t have to take a back seat to anyone at Pebble Beach.
A runner-up to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson each of the last two weeks, Snedeker finished off a record performance Sunday with a 7-under 65 for a 2shot victory over Chris Kirk in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Snedeker holed a 10-foot birdie on the 17th hole, and then tapped in for par to finish at 19-under 267. That broke the tournament record by 1 shot held by Mickelson (2007) and Mark O’Meara (1997), who each had a 20-under 268 when Poppy Hills was still in the rotation.
The hottest player in golf, Snedeker finally has a trophy to show for it.
“Feels great to finish one,” he said. “The last two weeks, playing great but running into two Hall of Famers, really motivated me to go out and prove that I can handle the lead.”
In five starts this year, he already had a win, two second-place finishes and a third. He never had much of a chance against Woods at Torrey Pines or Mickelson at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, who each had big leads going into the final round.
Snedeker was tied with James Hahn, a 31-year-old rookie from the Bay Area, and seized control with an eagle and three birdies on the opening seven holes. Snedeker responded to his only bogey, a three-putt at No. 9, by rolling in birdie putts on the next two holes.
He took a long gaze out at the Pacific while waiting on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach, perhaps reflecting on an amazing ride over the last six months — winning the Tour Championship to capture the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize, his first Ryder Cup team, and a blazing start to the new season.
Snedeker goes to No. 4 in the world, the highest ranking of his career and second only to Woods among Americans.
“Kind of crazy to think what’s happened,” he said.
Champions Tour
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Rocco Mediate birdied the 18th hole and finished with a 1-under par 71to win the Allianz Championship.
He finished the tournament at 17-under 199 and became the 16th player to win his Champions Tour debut.
Mediate’s 4-foot birdie putt came after Tom Pernice Jr. missed a 5-footer at No. 18 that could have forced a playoff.
Mediate started the day with a 3-shot lead, lost it by the 14th hole, but regained it when Pernice bogeyed the par-4 17th from a greenside bunker. Mediate protected that lead with a birdie on the par-5 closing hole.