SAN ANTONIO — JJ Spawn made two huge pictures on the finish of a protracted, wet Sunday. One led to a birdie and the opposite an eagle, enhancing his result in a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory on the Valero Texas Open, his first title since final summer season’s U.S. Open.
Spawn gained for the second time at TPC San Antonio by a large margin. His victory 4 years in the past earned him a spot within the Masters. He’s presently the US Open champion and has already secured a spot at Augusta Nationwide. However this was an vital victory.
Regardless of beginning seven video games this 12 months and never but ending within the high 20 — his finest end was a tie for twenty fourth at The Gamers Championship — the 35-year-old Californian earned a strong win in powerful situations for his first main of the 12 months.
“This recreation is simply so loopy,” Spawn mentioned. “I really feel like I haven’t reached the shape that I wished primarily based on final season and I’m simply attempting to take every day because it comes and settle for what I’ve.”
“There’s quite a bit to be gained while you win huge occasions just like the U.S. Open and different majors,” he mentioned. “I put a variety of stress on myself and had a variety of expectations on me heading into the beginning of the 12 months. I have been attempting to do away with The Gamers over the previous couple of weeks and take the stress off myself, which has been powerful. However sticking to that mantra has actually helped me.”
Robert McIntyre, who had led for many of the match, held a one-shot lead heading into the ultimate spherical with an even-par 72 after 12 holes Sunday morning within the storm-delayed match. The group didn’t change to the ultimate spherical attributable to ending in additional rain, however no lightning occurred to trigger a delay.
Spown was amongst 12 different gamers when he pushed his tee shot to three ft for birdie on the par-3 sixteenth gap and pushed the inexperienced to 10 ft for eagle on the 306-yard seventeenth gap.
He completed with a par and set a goal of 17-under 271, ending about an hour forward of McIntyre and the ultimate group. He was inside hanging distance when McIntyre, who was three pictures behind with two pictures left, drove on No. 17 and sunk an eagle putt 15 ft exterior to maneuver inside one shot.
However the Scot hooked his second shot from the moist fairway on the 609-yard closing gap (a par-5 with solely 10 birdies within the remaining spherical), and even after being rescued from the quickly immobilizing impediment, McIntyre may solely hit his wedge to 30 ft.
His birdie putts to win the playoff have been brief all through. McIntyre scored 70 factors, tied for second place with Matt Wallace (68 factors) and Michael Kim (69 factors).
It was his third win on the PGA Tour, two of which have been on the Texas Open.
Ludwig Oberg enters the Masters having completed within the high 10 for the third 12 months in a row, together with at The Gamers Championship, the place he gave up the lead on the again 9. He closed with a 70, tied for fifth with Andrew Putnam. Andrew Putnam wanted a birdie on the 18th to make the playoff, however he hit a wedge into the again bunker for a bogey of 70.
