Keegan Bradley prolonged Tommy Fleetwood’s await a maiden PGA Tour title after snatching a dramatic victory in an exhilarating end to the Vacationers Championship.
Fleetwood took a three-shot lead into the ultimate day at TPC River Highlands and recovered from three bogeys in his first 4 holes to remain prime of the leaderboard heading into the closing holes.
Bradley was three again with 4 to play however closed on Fleetwood with a 35-foot birdie on the fifteenth, having holed from 65 ft earlier in his spherical, with the Ryder Cup captain getting inside one when his enjoying associate bogeyed the par-three subsequent.
Fleetwood stayed one forward heading to the ultimate gap, the place he three-putted from the perimeter for a closing bogey as Bradley fired his strategy to 6 ft and transformed a tournament-winning birdie.
Bradley’s dramatic end closed a two-under 68 and noticed him finish the week on 15 beneath, with Fleetwood ending a shot again in tied-second alongside Russell Henley after a final-round 68.
How Bradley snatched PGA Tour thriller from Fleetwood
Fleetwood’s in a single day benefit was instantly lower to 1 on the par-four first, the place he did not rise up and down to save lots of par from the greenside bunker as Henley made a 12-foot birdie.
The Englishman responded with a five-foot birdie on the subsequent, the place Henley dropped a shot, solely to fall again right into a share of the lead alongside Bradley after successive three-putt bogeys on his subsequent two holes.
Bradley bogeyed the par-five sixth however pulled again degree with Fleetwood after holing a rare 65-foot birdie on the par-four ninth, leaving the pair on 14 beneath on the flip because the chasing pack continued to bunch.
Fleetwood edged again forward when Bradley bogeyed the tenth and doubled his lead with a 15-foot birdie on the par-three subsequent, then noticed a 20-foot try on the par-four twelfth agonisingly fall wanting the goal.
Each gamers took benefit of the par-five thirteenth, the place Henley additionally made birdie, whereas Bradley’s title problem appeared over on the par-four subsequent – regardless of Fleetwood lacking a six-foot birdie likelihood – after a bogey dropped him three behind.
Tommy Fleetwood combined three birdies with 5 bogeys on the ultimate day
Bradley stored his seemingly slim hopes alive after holing from lengthy vary on the par-four fifteenth, with Fleetwood’s lead halved when he went lengthy of the inexperienced on the par-three subsequent and did not rise up and down for par.
Fleetwood safely two-putted the seventeenth gap to retain his one-shot benefit heading to the final, the place indecision together with his strategy shot left him ending on the entrance fringe of the inexperienced.
Tommy Fleetwood’s runner-up end is his sixth on the PGA Tour
A poor first putt completed seven ft wanting the opening and Fleetwood missed his subsequent effort for par, leaving him watching on as Bradley transformed his putt to spark wild celebrations on the 18th inexperienced.
Fleetwood completed tied-second with Henley, who holed out from the tough on the par-four final to additionally end on 14 beneath, whereas Bradley’s victory is his eighth PGA Tour title and enhances the prospect of him being a playing-captain on the Ryder Cup this September.
“Really, really crazy,” Bradley stated. “I felt like I was just too far behind the whole day. I was just chasing, chasing. I just had that feeling that I was just too far behind the whole day, but I came in here and made the putts when I needed to.”
Harris English and Jason Day shared fourth spot on 13 beneath, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy an additional stroke again in tied-second after each carding final-round 65s.
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Rory McIlroy recovered from a wayward tee shot to make a powerful birdie on the driveable fifteenth throughout the last spherical
Fleetwood: Close to-miss ‘worst technique to end’
Tommy Fleetwood, talking to CBS: “I’m gutted. A couple of wrong clubs down the last couple. I didn’t putt great today after putting well all week. There was a stretch on the back nine where I should have taken control.
“I left one within the jaws on 12 and I used to be enjoying good. On 14, a weak putt. On 16, a tricky up and down. I used to be feeling good after flashing the drive on 18 however we acquired that one improper and left it within the worst attainable spot in entrance of Keegan’s ball.
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Tommy Fleetwood was despondent after narrowly lacking out on a maiden PGA Tour title on the Vacationers Championship
“Then I didn’t hit the best putt. Things to work on. I hadn’t been in that situation for a long time and I felt I did a good job for the most part. But it’s the worst way to finish: leading by two with three to play and then leading by one down the last but not even making a play-off.”
Henley, talking after his runner-up end: “He [Bradley] just plays with so much passion. He wants it, he wants to compete, he wants to win. It just means so much to him. That was a really, really cool moment on 18. I definitely feel for Tommy and I’ve been in that situation before and it stings, so it’s the nature of sport.”
What’s subsequent?
The PGA Tour heads to Detroit subsequent for the Rocket Basic, the place Australia’s Cam Davis is defending champion. Early protection from Detroit Golf Membership begins on Thursday from 5.30pm on Sky Sports activities Golf forward of full protection from 8pm. Not acquired Sky? Stream the PGA Tour and extra with no contract.
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