Starting the final day four shots behind overnight leader Troy Matteson, 44-year-old Bradley hit a hot streak on the way out, carding -5 for the front nine.
A dropped shot at the 14th was recovered after a monster birdie putt at the 15th and, with Matteson only managing a level-par round of 72 to finish on -16, Bradley had a short par putt at the 18th to be crowned champion in regulation play.
Whether it was adrenalin or a lack of concentration that kicked in, who knows, but Bradley's forceful putt appeared to stike the back of the cup and bounce out, leaving a tap in for bogey and an eventual tie.
The first play-off hole took Bradley and Matteson again up the par-5, 18th. Both had birdie chances and Matteson's longer putt was struck a couple of feet past the hole.
Bradley missed his opportunity but this time he made par, leaving Matteson to finish off and continue the sudden death. Agonisingly, his putt lipped out, prompting gasps from the gallery and an almost embarrassed Bradley took the spoils.
Tied for third on -14 was Stephen Ames, whose closing 66 was the best round of the final day, and Hunter Haas, who could only manage a 71. George McNeill finished in fifth place on -13.
THE TOP FIVE
| 1 - Michael Bradley (USA) | -16 (68 68 68 68 - 272) | $630,000 | ||
| 2 - Troy Matteson (USA) | -16 (67 67 66 72 - 272) | $378,000 | ||
| T3 - Stephen Ames (Can) | -14 (69 66 73 66 - 274) | $203,000 | ||
| T3 - Hunter Haas (USA) | -14 (67 68 68 71 - 274) | $203,000 | ||
| 5 - George McNeill (USA) | -13 (69 66 71 69 - 275) | $140,000 |
No comments:
Post a Comment