IRVING, Texas — Billy Horschel had missed four consecutive cuts when he arrived at TPC Four Seasons, a course he was never particularly fond of.
After winning the last AT&T Byron Nelson scheduled at the Irving resort, Horschel now wishes he could have the chance to come back.
While his 18-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday stopped just short, Horschel won with a par when Jason Day pulled his 4-foot par putt left and past the hole.
“When I hit it I knew it was on a perfect line and I thought I got it to the hole. … I just wanted to finish it off there,” Horschel said. “I didn’t expect him to miss it. I was expecting to go back to the tee and play the hole again.”
Instead, the playoff wrapped up the Nelson’s 35th and final tournament in Irving. The event shifts next year to the new links-style Trinity Forest Golf Club south of downtown Dallas.
In his only two previous Nelsons, in 2011 and 2012, Horschel missed the cut at 13 over through 36 holes both times. With a closing 1-under 69 on Sunday, including a 60-foot birdie putt at the 14th hole, Horschel matched Day (68) at 12-under 268 for a playoff.
“It’s sad that it’s leaving because I was never a fan of this course, but came here and now I am,” Horschel said. “I won, and I don’t want to leave.”
Third-round leader James Hahn finished a stroke back after shooting 71. He just missed a miraculous eagle at the 18th hole that would have gotten him in the playoff with his playing partners — threesomes were used after early morning rain delayed the start Sunday.
Day, who got the first of his 10 PGA Tour victories at the 2010 Nelson, had the lead alone only once, when he pitched in from 78 feet from the rough by the greenside bunker at the 477-yard 15th. He was there after two horrible shots, a tee shot way right and the approach that set up an awkward stance.
But at the par-5 573-yard 16th, the easiest hole at TPC Four Seasons, Day’s wayward tee shot hit a spectator. After making sure the woman was OK, he hit an approach that settled pin-high on the green, but a 9-foot birdie chance curled by the hole.
“I only had one top 10 up to this point. To be able to play the way I did today, I played some good solid golf,” Day said. “It’s a little disappointing, but it’s not the first tournament I’m going to lose. … I feel good about my game.”
Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) finished in a tie for 66th at 5 over and won $15,375.
LPGA TOUR
Thompson in control
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Lexi Thompson shot a 6-under 65 on Sunday to finish off a wire-to-wire victory in the Kingsmill Championship with a tournament-record 20-under 264 total.
Thompson broke the tournament record of 19 under at Kingsmill’s River Course set by Annika Sorenstam in 2008. The victory came in Thompson’s third event since she lost the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalized four strokes for a rules violation reported by a television viewer during the final round.
In Gee Chun, playing with Thompson, shot a bogey-free 67, but was no match for the leader, finishing five shots back. Thompson also was bogey free and finished the tournament with just two bogeys, both on the par-3 17th hole.
Emily Tubert (Arkansas Razorbacks) finished 72nd at 13 over and won $2,569.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Quiros tops in playoff
VERDURA, Sicily — Alvaro Quiros of Spain beat Zander Lombard of South Africa on the second hole of a playoff to win the Rocco Forte Open on Sunday and claim his first title in more than six years.
Quiros had a seven-stroke lead at one point but four bogeys and a double bogey let Lombard force extra holes with both finishing at 14-under— one stroke ahead of third-placed finisher Li Haotong of China.
After both Quiros and Lombard parred the first playoff hole, Quiros also made par on the next hole while Lombard missed a 3-footer to end his hopes of a first victory.
Pep Angles (Central Arkansas) was fourth, two strokes behind the winner.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Langer ties Nicklaus
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Bernhard Langer cruised to his second consecutive Regions Tradition victory, shooting an 8-under-64 Sunday to match Jack Nicklaus’ record of eight PGA Tour Champions major titles.
Langer wiped out a sixstroke deficit over the weekend and finished at 20-under 268 for a five-stroke victory over Scott McCarron and Scott Parel.
Funk shot a 72 to tie for fourth with Marco Dawson
(66).
Glen Day (Little Rock) finished tied for 10th and won $55,200. John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 7-under 65 and tied for 32nd to win $16,215.
WEB.COM TOUR
Event shortened
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Stephan Jaeger won the BMW Charity Pro-Am on Sunday for his second Web.com Tour victory when heavy rain washed out the final round.
Jaeger, 27, player shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to reach 19-under 195. Tyler Duncan, Xinjun Zhang and Andrew Yun finished a shot back.
A year after falling $3,243 short of earning a PGA Tour card through the Web.com Tour’s regular-season money list, Jaeger earned $126,000 to jump from 103rd to sixth with $138,234. The top 25 at the end of the regular season will earn PGA Tour cards.
Andrew Landry (Arkansas Razorbacks) tied for fifth at 15 under and won $23,730. Ethan Tracy (Razorbacks) was 13 under, good enough for a tie for 11th and $15,400. Taylor Moore (Razorbacks) and Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) were in a 16-way logjam for 17th place. They each won $4,977 for their 11-under finish. Sebastian Cappelen (Razorbacks) placed 44th and won $2,183 (9 under).
Sports on 05/22/2017