SAN FRANCISCO – Britain’s Mark Cavendish outsprinted Peter Sagan at the finish Sunday to win the final stage of the Tour of California for the third consecutive year while France’s Julian Alaphilippe captured the overall crown.
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Garcia, who played his first professional event at the Nelson in 1999, won the tournament in 2004 and recorded his first Tour victory just down Interstate-30 at Colonial in ’01, has always had an affinity for the Tour’s Texas swing and his victory at the Nelson will be defined by his resilience.
Sergio Garcia captured his first PGA Tour title in nearly four years after taking advantage of a back nine slip up from Brooks Koepka to beat the American in a play-off.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Garcia listened to Peggy Morgan, the late Nelson’s widow, congratulate him at the trophy ceremony.
On the fourth, he said, “I had a bad drive and it led to a bad hole. Obviously this is going to jump me (up the Ryder Cup rankings), which means a lot to me”.
“I won a bit a la Seve today”. I wasn’t hesitant at the ball, which is what I was the last couple of days trying to guide shots. “But I’m proud of the way I hung in there”.
Koepka entered the final round with a two-shot lead over playing partner Jordan Spieth and led Garcia by three.
Spieth missed five of his first 11 fairways Sunday and played that stretch of holes 2-over par, dropping to six shots behind playing partner Brooks Koepka on a day when the majority of the field was under par.
John Senden was the best of the Aussies with his final round 69 seeing him-finish at 7-under in a tie for 41st.
“Kind of stinks given I had a chance here at a hometown event”, Spieth said. Those bogeys allowed Garcia to match the lead.
The 26-year-old had a chance to salvage a win at the 18th, but his 15-foot birdie putt was just off target. The Spaniard just needed a par to oust Koepka after the American carded a disappointing double bogey to hand the win to Garcia.
Koepka stopped some of the damage with a 6-foot par saver on No. 16. When Koepka drove into the water, the tournament was effectively over.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Bernhard Langer ran away with the Regions Tradition for his sixth senior major and 27th PGA Tour Champions title. He finished with 5-under 67 for 17-under 271 and a six-stroke victory over Olin Browne.
Spieth bogeyed for a second time on the par-three fifth, hitting his tee shot into the bunker before failing to get up and down.
Spieth first played in the Byron Nelson as a 16-year-old six years ago, when he tied for 16th – still his best finish in his six starts there. The 20-year-old Jutanugarn became the first Thai victor in tour history two weeks earlier in Alabama. She finished with a 14-under 270 for four trips over Kingsmill’s 6,347-yard River Course.
Jutanugarn has broken through after two final-round meltdowns. In the 2013 LPGA Thailand at age 17, Jutanugarn blew a two-stroke lead with a closing triple bogey in a one-stroke loss to Inbee Park. Dennis finished 21 seconds back in second place for the second time in three years, while Bookwalter was another 22 seconds adrift for his BMC Racing team.
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Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) had a 2-under 70 (9-under 206).
