Garcia made a par on the first playoff hole Sunday to beat Brooks Koepka for his ninth career PGA Tour victory and his first since 2012.
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“I know I can play better”.
Koepka expanded his lead to two strokes on the par-5 16th when he chipped his third shot from right of the green to within two feet and converted the birdie chance.
After returning to winning ways on the PGA Tour, what do you think the rest of the season holds for Sergio Garcia? ‘Obviously to up there with Seve for me means so much.
“I played nicely this week”, Garcia said.
Spieth also had an opportunity for birdie, but lipped out an eight-foot putt.
The last time Crane had led a tournament was going wire-to-wire to win at Memphis two years ago, the last of his five PGA Tour victories and his last top-10 finish.
If nothing else, Spieth heads to historic Colonial with the knowledge that he has played well there (Spieth tied for second at last year’s event and has two top-10 finishes in three appearances at Colonial) and progress is being made. “I definitely wasn’t really on”, Garcia said in a greenside interview after finding two water hazards in the final round, but still coming through to win. “I feel very confident about next week”. “Today I hit the ball bad”.
Garcia was 15 under and with the outright lead after his fourth birdie of the round, and second in a row, when he made a 25-footer at No. 8.
In just his second start since he lost the Masters last month, Spieth brushed off last week’s missed cut at The Players Championship to at least contend in his hometown event for the first time since he was 16 years old.
“I felt like I found something … that I can fine-tune with my ball-striking – and my putting is there”, he said. He is now the world’s No. 2-ranked player and the crowd favorite.
Anirban Lahiri finished tied-46th in Irving.
The 26-year-old had a chance to salvage a win at the 18th, but his 15-foot birdie putt was just off target. “Nothing really bothers me but I know I’ve worked my tail off, so the results should come”. But Garcia followed his second bogey with a string of three birdies before closing out his front nine to move to two-under-par on the day.
But despite a lead at one point that grew to as many as three shots in the final round, the former Florida State golfer was leaking oil from tee to green long before his double bogey in the playoff hole. He pitched to 11 feet and saved par. But Koepka sank his par putt to secure the lead and Spieth missed, falling two shots adrift.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Bernhard Langer ran away with the Regions Tradition for his sixth senior major and 27th PGA Tour Champions title. She birdied the par-5 18th after dropping strokes on 12, 13 and 17.
LPGA Tour: Ariya Jutanugarn moved into position for her second straight victory, shooting a bogey-free 6-under 65 to take the third-round lead at 10-under 203 in the Kingsmill Championship at Williamsburg, Va.
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The 20-year-old Jutanugarn became the first Thai victor in tour history two weeks ago in Alabama.
