Day: March 26, 2017

D.A. Points wins Puerto Rico for 3rd PGA Tour titleD.A. Points wins Puerto Rico for 3rd PGA Tour title

March 26, 2017March 26, 2017| 20:08

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — D.A. Points was never better at the start, and good enough at the end. Points opened the final round of the Puerto Rico Open with five straight birdies, and then overcame a rugged stretch by saving pars and piling up enough birdies for a 6-under 66 on Sunday and a two-shot victory. It was the third PGA TOUR victory of his career, and felt just as sweet as when he won at Pebble Beach with Bill Murray as his partner, and four years ago at the Shell Houston Open to get to the Masters. This won’t send him to Augusta National because it was played opposite a World Golf Championship. It was no less important for Points, who lost his card a year ago and now has a full two-year exemption. “I was just really proud of myself for finding some way — hitting about as low as I’ve ever been golf-wise and finding my out — and then to be able to hang in there and win today is something that I wasn’t sure if I had in me,” he said. “And I’m really proud of myself.” Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen (64), Bill Lunde (68) and former U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau (67) tied for second at Coco Beach Golf and Country Club. Sam Saunders, one week after missing the cut at the first Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard without his grandfather there as the host, closed with a 65 and tied for fifth. Also tying for fifth was former U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein, who plays the European Tour and was in Puerto Rico on a sponsor’s exemption. That sends both of them to the Shell Houston Open next week for finishing in the top 10. Six others in the top 10 were eligible for the Shell Houston Open, where the winner gets an invitation to the Masters. Chris Stroud, with his first 54-hole lead as he tried to win his first PGA TOUR event in 277 starts, closed with a 71 and finished four shots behind. Points closed with a birdie to finish at 20-under 268. “I’ve never, that I can think of, just started out with five straight birdies,” Points said. “It was just like, `Wow!’ I just hit in the fairway and I hit it right at the flag and tapped it in. It was pretty fun.” And then it became a grind. He dropped a shot at the sixth, another at the eighth and then a third bogey at No. 10 when he three-putted. But he saved par at No. 11 and faced another 5-footer for par at No. 12. “I said, `If I can just make this putt, I’ve got a chance to kind of get the momentum going back the other way.’ And then I holed a nice putt on 13 and then I settled my swing down and started hitting it close again,” he said. “Golf is like that, right? You have highs and lows and rarely do you just play every hole perfect. To bounce back after kind of a rough stretch there, I’m really proud.” Even though the victory doesn’t get him into the Masters, Points will be at THE PLAYERS Championship in May and the PGA Championship in August, along with access to smaller fields like Colonial and the Memorial. And he starts out next year on Maui at the Tournament of Champions.

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Match Play recaps Day 5Match Play recaps Day 5

March 26, 2017March 26, 2017| 17:24

AUSTIN, Texas — The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play has reached its final day at Austin Country Club. Here are the recaps from Sunday morning’s two semifinals, with Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm advancing to the afternoon championship finals starting at 3:15 p.m. ET. CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW After his semifinal win, Jon Rahm said he wanted to play Dustin Johnson in the final. “I want to play who is playing the best right now,” Rahm said. “Honestly, it would be great to play DJ.” Responded Dustin: “He’s a great young player and he’s playing really good right now. I think it’s going to be a really good match.” Both players are 6-0-0 this week. Johnson has yet to fall behind after any of his 94 holes played this week. Rahm has been behind on just 3 of 90 holes played. Johnson is looking to complete the WGC Slam, as he’s won each of the other three legs but never this event. Rahm is playing in just his second WGC event and his first Match Play. Earlier this month, Johnson won the WGC-Mexico Champioship while Rahm finished T-4. “Ever since Mexico, I’ve been wanting that rematch,” Rahm said. Now he’s got it. MORE MATCH PLAY: LIVE LEADERBOARD PREVIOUS RECAPS: DAY 4 | DAY 3 | DAY 2 | DAY 1 SEMIFINALS recaps DUSTIN JOHNSON (1), USA def. HIDETO TANIHARA (54), Japan … 1 up Johnson was in firm control early. After an eagle at the sixth and a birdie at the 7th, he was 3 up and seemed to be cruising into the finals. But the underdog Tanihara was not about to go quietly. His birdie at the eighth, and a Dustin lip-out of a par putt at the 10th reduced DJ’s lead to 1 up. A key hole was the par-5 12th. Tanihara found the green in two for a great eagle opportunity, while Dustin came up short of the green. But Dustin scrambled for birdie while Tanihara three-putted for par to lose the hole. Give credit to Tanihara — he bounced back with consecutive birdies to square the match after 14. The match stayed that way going to 17, a hole Dustin had yet to play this week. He looked quite comfortable, though, as his tee shot left him 6-1/2 feet for birdie, which he converted to take the lead. Tanihara had the advantage at the 18th green, with a birdie putt from 12-1/2 feet while DJ missed the green. But Tanihara missed his putt and DJ made his 8-footer for par to close it out. Match stats: Johnson won 6 holes, led 14 holes, made 1 eagle, 4 birdies and 3 bogeys. Tanihara won 5 holes, led 0 holes, made 3 birdies and 2 bogeys. Said Johnson: “I thought I played pretty solid. I hit the ball well, drove it well. I hit a lot of good putts and just on the back nine, they just didn’t go in. I hit the hole a bunch on the back nine, hitting good putts with good speed. That’s what I’ve got to keep doing, rolling the putter really well and I think I’ll be tough to beat this afternoon.” JON RAHM (21), Spain def. BILL HAAS (42), USA … 3 and 2 Rahm and Haas both played impressive bogey-free golf through 13 holes. Rahm made his fifth birdie of the day with a 6-1/2 footer at 13 and went 1 up. But he found trouble on his approach on 14, and bogey was imminent. With a chance to square the match, however, Haas hit a poor chip and could not convert his par putt from 14 feet. Having been bailed out, Rahm won the 15th hole with a 10-foot birdie, and closed out the match with a 7-foot birdie at the 16th. Rahm, making his first Dell Match Play start and just his second WGC appearance, now becomes the first Spaniard to reach the final. Match stats: Rahm won 5 holes, led 5 holes, made 7 birdies and 1 bogey. Haas won 2 holes, led 2 holes, made 4 birdies and 1 bogey. Said Rahm: “Towards the end, especially, I really made a couple of clutch putts. I think all day both of us played great. The front nine we went a little bit back and forth. On the back nine we kept playing good. We just weren’t making the putts. I made that on 13. And then the one on 15 was just the one that put me in the perfect direction to play 16.” Said Haas: “I just didn’t make anything on the back nine … He played nice, an unbelievable birdie from the rough at 15. … I’m really disappointed.” 

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