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Tour Mash: Spieth Holes Playoff Bunker Shot To Win The Travelers

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Any concerns that a post-major week might offer a letdown are gone. We had a 61, a walk-off-wedge-slam birdie, a mighty closing run and a four-golfer playoff… all on different tours! Double the blenders, double the speed. Let’s mash!

PGA Tour: Spieth Makes Travelers His 10th PGA Tour Win

“The dunk heard round the world” came after one of the worst playoff holes ever. Jordan Spieth caught a lucky bounce off a tree and ended up in the fairway. Daniel Berger pulled his drive into trouble left, but got his ball on the putting surface, 50 feet away. Spieth chunked his approach into the same bunker he’d visited in regulation. So far, so bad.

And then, as Berger said, “Jordan does Jordan things.” Spieth went his regulation sandy one better with a hole-out, walk-off, wedge-slam, rake-toss, body-bump-with-caddy finish to the event. For the first time, golfers looked like athletes as Spieth and Michael Greller connected well in their celebration.

Spieth held his solo third-round lead most of the day. Boo Weekley, his closest pursuer, fell off on the back nine with zero birdies. Spieth made a pair of bogeys midway through the inward half, while Berger caught the Texan with birdie on three of his final six holes. And then came the one-and-done playoff.

Winning WITB: See what clubs Spieth used. 

LPGA Tour: So Yeon Ryu Holds on for Win at Walmart

No one wants to wake up the morning after a 10-birdie round for 61 and have to compete again. It never ends well… until yesterday. So Yeon Ryu, the 2011 U.S. Open champion, notched her fifth LPGA Tour win in Arkansas, but she had to work to do so. Ryu entered Round 3 with a sizable lead, and she played 2-under golf for a two-shot victory over Amy Yang and Moriya Jutanugarn.

Ryu had three birdies and one bogey on the day following her electrifying round. Yang was on pace to equal it on Sunday, with eight birdies and an eagle on her card. Three bogeys derailed the comeback effort, leaving her in a tie for second. Jutanugarn, whose sister (Ariya) is the world’s top-ranked professional golfer, had her own eyes on the prize. Her fireworks came late, with a birdie-eagle finish to close with 66. Homestate gal Stacy Lewis needed a mid-60s round to challenge, but could only summon 69. She tied for fourth with Michelle Wie.

European Tour: Surprise Winner at BMW International

Masters champion Sergio Garcia held the third-round lead. Englishman Richard Bland, winless on tour for over 15 years, was on his heels. Young Belgian Thomas Detry, eager to become the next Thomas Pieters, was in command for most of the day. Of course, your winner is Argentina’s Andres Romero. Say what?

Here’s how it broke down. Garcia bogeyed his opening hole. He made some birdies in the middle, but he could not pitch in for eagle at the last to force a playoff. Bland kinda did the same thing, and narrowly missed his eagle at the last to force the same playoff. Detry birdied four of his initial five holes, shot 31 going out, and birdied two of his final five for 66 on the day…and his effort wasn’t enough, either. He finished in a tie with the other two at 16-under.

These fellows went home empty-handed because Romero, the 2008 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and Zurich Classic champion, began his day with seven consecutive pars, and he then closed with seven birdies in his final 11 holes. Romero posted 65, then sat with friends in the scoring tent as all three challengers fired and failed to tie. Romero began his week with an ace on No. 2, and he closed with his second European Tour title. Boom, baby!

Champions: Couples on Point for Lucky 13th Title

Freddie’s back said Go baby on Sunday morning and Freddie did. The 1992 Masters champion went out in 32, courtesy of four birdies. He added two more on the inward half, and he signed for a clean card of 66. Only Fran Quinn topped him on the day (64), but he was too far back to enter the equation. The American Family win, part of the Steve Stricker Wisconsin Stretch (after U.S. Open at Erin Hills last week), was Couples’ 13th on the senior circuit.

What happened to the overnight leaders? England’s Paul Broadhurst began the day with victory on his mind, dropping birdies on Nos. 2 and 3… and then the petrol drained from the tank. He made three bogeys and one more birdie the rest of the way to drop from the top spot to solo fifth. Scott Verplank owned second place at sun’s rise, and occupied the same position at sun’s rest. The 52-year-old had four birdies and one bogey on the day. And the aforementioned Stricker, doubtless fulfilling the role of informal tournament host, did the Badger state proud with three rounds in the 60s and a third-place tie with Joe Durant.

Web.com Tour: Schenk survives four-man playoff

Kyle Thompson had the third-round lead on the Web.com Tour, but 74 was not going to get the job done. It almost did, as it gave him a shot in the playoff. Adam Schenk had to believe his 1-over 72 would be good for a top-5 finish, but not a chance at the win. And Eric Axley (66) and William Kropp (67) had to feel good about their closing efforts, as their low rounds offered each a shot at victory.

Schenk had a shot at victory on the home hole, but he pulled his approach wide of the target and failed to get up and down for par after a free drop. Off then, the quartet went, to extra holes. All four made par at the first playoff hole, but the Illinois resident Schenk had a bit of an advantage at the second. Growing up near the tournament course, Schenk was dialed in to his birdie putt and drained it after watching his competitors miss their efforts. The win was his first on the Web.com Tour after 37 starts.

Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Jack Nash

    Jun 26, 2017 at 4:01 pm

    Coulda shoed a dozen horses with the amount of shoes he dropped over the back 9.

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