AKRON, Ohio -- Shane Lowry began daydreaming Sunday morning about lifting the Bridgestone Invitational trophy on the 18th green, and then he would quickly return to reality because he knew there was a long day ahead with world-class players all around him.
Turns out he was right.
He just never could have dreamed how it unfolded.
Lowry hooked one tee shot so far left that he was given a free drop because the 11th tee box was in the way. He opened the face of a pitching wedge to hit over a 50-foot tree and made birdie. Lowry finished the biggest round of his career with a sand wedge that he hammered through a tree on the 18th to just over 10 feet for a closing birdie.
Not to be overlooked were two huge par saves that carried him to a 4-under 66 and a two-shot victory over Bubba Watson.
"It's fairly special to do that against such a good field, to shoot bogey-free 66 on a golf course like that," Lowry said. "I know it will stay with me now for the rest of my career. I've done everything I needed to do today."
Watson also closed with a 66. Jim Furyk and Justin Rose, who shared the 54-hole lead, fell behind on the front nine and couldn't catch the Irishman. Both closed with a 72 and tied for third.
"To beat those guys down the stretch on a golf course like this ... it just shows a lot about my game, that's it good enough to compete at any level," Lowry said.
Lowry had a one-shot lead when Furyk made his second bogey on the front nine, but the Irishman appeared to be in trouble with a wild hook off the 10th tee. Instead, he powered a wedge as high as he could, over a tree and listened for the gallery's roar to hear the results. It plopped down and rolled to within tap-in range for a birdie that gave him control, and he never let up.
Lowry finished at 11-under 269 and earned $1.57 million, along with a PGA Tour card for the next three years. He had been a special temporary member.
Watson was stunned that two wedges down the stretch bounced so hard on the greens and took away reasonable birdie chances -- one on the par-5 16th and on the closing hole after a drive that rolled out nearly 380 yards.
"I nipped it, took paint off the ball and cut it with a 63-degree lob wedge and it just bounced," Watson said. "Now knowing that if I had hit the tree, it spins more on 18. That's what I should have done."
Furyk was concerned about the way he was hitting the ball earlier in the week and said his flaws were covered up by great putting. He couldn't rely on it Sunday.
"The last 27 holes, not only didn't I hit it well, I hit the ball very poorly," he said. "We've got some work to do."
David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 2-under 68 and finished in a tie for sixth at 5 under to win $219,000.
Masters and U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth closed with a 66 and tied for 10th, his fifth consecutive top 10 during a stretch in which he has won four times.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Maggert goes on roll
CALGARY, Alberta -- Jeff Maggert won the Shaw Charity Classic for his third Champions Tour title of year, birdieing five of the last six holes on the front nine in a four-stroke victory.
The 51-year-old Texan, two strokes behind playing partners Miguel Angel Jimenez and Colin Montgomerie entering the round, closed with a 6-under 64 at Canyon Meadows to finish at 16-under 194.
Maggert added birdies on the par-5 11th and par-3 14th, dropped a stroke on the par-4 15th and parred the final three holes.
The three-time PGA Tour winner also won major titles this year in the Regions Tradition and U.S. Senior Open. He won the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic last year in his debut on the 50-and-over tour.
Montgomerie was second after a 70.
Fred Couples, the winner last year, finished with a 68 to tie for fifth at 10 under. Jimenez had a 74 to drop into a tie for 12th at 8 under. He matched the course record Saturday with a 61.
PGA TOUR
Henry wins playoff
RENO, Nev. -- J.J. Henry won the Barracuda Championship for the second time in four years Sunday, beating Kyle Reifers with a 15-foot eagle putt from the fringe on the second hole of a playoff.
After Henry holed the left-to-right breaking putt on the par-5 18th, Reifers missed a 10-footer.
Reifers had three back-nine eagles in a 22-point round to match Henry at 47 points at Montreux Golf and Country Club in the PGA Tour's only modified Stableford event. The 40-year-old Henry, also the 2012 winner, closed with a birdie for a six-point round.
Players received eight points for double eagle, five for eagle, two for birdie, zero for par, minus-one for bogey and minus-three for double bogey or worse.
Patrick Rodgers, the 2013 Western Amateur medalist at The Alotian Club in Roland, was a point back after an 11-point round.
Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had 3 points on Sunday, 32 for the tournament, and finished in 20th place to win $38,750. Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Arkansas Razorbacks) was a point back and won $32,240. Bryce Molder (Conway) finished with 23 points, near the bottom of the field, and won $7,213.
WEB.COM TOUR
Piller sets mark
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Martin Piller broke the Digital Ally Open tournament scoring record, finishing at 26-under 258 for his second Web.Com Tour victory of the year.
Piller, married to LPGA Tour player Gerina Piller, closed with a 6-under 65 at the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate to break the mark of 21-under 263 set by James Nitties in 2011.
Piller earned $108,000 to jump from fifth to scecond on the money list with $309,549, more than enough for a PGA Tour card next season. He won the Boise Open last month and has five career tour titles.
Darron Stiles was second, four strokes back after a 67.
Sebastian Cappelen (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 4-under 67 to finish in a tie for 15th at 16 under and won $8,715. Andrew Landry's even-par 71 put him in a tie for 31st at 15 under. He won $3,885. Tag Ridings (Razorbacks)g0t to 12 under for the tournament after a 6-under 65 and made $1,917. Zack Fischer (Little Rock) finished at 10 under, good enough for a tie for 57th and $1,572.
Sports on 08/10/2015