Lee joins exclusive club as a repeat winner of Nelson
K.H. Lee joined Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson as the only repeat winners of the Byron Nelson.
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 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 in suburban Dallas.
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), who was part of an eight-way tie for the lead at 20 under early in the final round.
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, Okla.
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’s career-best round overcame a four-shot deficit going into the final round and put him at 26 under, one shot better than last year. Both of his PGA Tour victories have come at the Nelson.
“It still feels like I’m dreaming,” said Lee, a firsttime winner as a father after his wife was pregnant when he won last year. “Last year and this year, to make a good memory.”
LPGA Tour
The way LPGA scoring leader Minjee Lee has been playing, winning was only a matter of time.
The title came in the Cognizant Founders Cup in Clifton, N.J., after a final round in which the Aussie wasn’t at her best.
Lee made her only three birdies on the back nine and held off Lexi Thompson (69) by two shots to win her seventh career title and first since last year’s Evian Championship.
Lee took the lead for good with a two-putt 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.
PGA Champions Tour
Steve Stricker completed at a wire-to-wire victory in the Regions Tradition, closing with a 3-under 69 for a five-stroke victory and his fourth PGA Tour Champions major title.
Stricker’s second Tradition win at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., came in his third event since returning from a six-month absence for health reasons.
“It’s been a long time,” the emotional Stricker said. “I hate crying, but where I was last November and even a couple of months ago — to come fullcircle here, it means a lot.”
He finishing at 20-under 268 for his eighth victory over the 50-and-over tour. Paidrag Harrington (68) was second.
DP World Tour
Englishman Sam Horsfield claimed his third European tour title by shooting 3-under 68 to win the Soudal Open by two strokes in Antwerp, Belgium.
Horsfield finished on 13-under 271. Fox (71) and Germany’s Yannik Paul (69) tied for second place.