Birthday boy Schauffele soars in Shanghai
Print Edition
XANDER Schauffele gave the Americans a sweep of the World Golf Championships and quickly put a winless sophomore season behind him.
Schauffele made birdie on his final three holes yesterday, the last one a two-putt birdie from about 30 feet on the par-5 18th hole to beat Tony Finau in a sudden-death playoff and win the HSBC Champions.
“When I was signing my card, I was like, ‘Oh, wow. I actually went birdie-birdie to get in the playoff,’” he said. “I was just in my own world out there.”
He began the tournament by celebrating his 25th birthday. He ended it with one clutch shot after another in the closing stretch at Sheshan International for a 4-under-par 68, the lowest score of the final round, and his first victory in 13 months.
Schauffele won twice in his first year on the PGA Tour to win rookie of the year. Last season featured high finishes, but only one good chance at winning when he was a runner-up at the British Open at Carnoustie.
Now he has three victories, the last two at the Tour Championship to end the 2017 season and now a WGC.
Finau, who started the final round with a three-shot lead in his bid for a second PGA Tour-sanctioned victory, was ahead by one shot until Schauffele made an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, only the fourth player to make birdie on that hole yesterday.
Britain’s defending champion Justin Rose missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 17th and went to the final hole two shots behind. Trying to make eagle, he went from the bunker to the rough to over the green and into the water, making a bogey for a 72 to finish four shots behind.
That meant Brooks Koepka, who closed with a 69 and tied for 16th, stayed at No. 1 in the world for at least another week.
Then, it was a battle between the two Americans.
Finau faced a risky shot from his ball sitting high in the rough by going for the green. It narrowly cleared the water, leaving him an eagle putt from about 35 feet that he placed to a few feet from the cup. Schauffele’s second shot into the par-5 18th landed on the putting surface and rolled just over the back as the 25-year-old American said, “Sit!” six times before it settled just off the green.
He ran his eagle putt 3 feet by and made that for birdie. He and Finau finished at 14-under 274.
In the playoff, Schauffele again hit the fairway and hit a 5-iron to the middle of the green. Finau went into the face of the bunker on the left, had no choice but to lay up, and his third shot was 20 feet on the fringe. He missed his birdie putt to extend the playoff.
“Definitely feel like I let one get away,” said Finau, whose only PGA Tour victory was at the Puerto Rico Open two years ago. “Xander played incredible golf today. It was playing tough out there. He posted a number and made birdie on a playoff hole when it counted. Hats off to him. He played nicely today and deserved to win.”
The US becomes the first country to have four players win the four WGC events. Phil Mickelson won the Mexico Championship, Bubba Watson took the Dell Match Play and Justin Thomas won the Bridgestone Invitational.
In New Delhi, India’s Khalin Joshi fired a decisive birdie on the 18th hole to clinch his maiden Asian Tour title at the Panasonic Open India yesterday.
The 26-year-old Joshi fired a 4-under-par 68 in the fourth round to edge out Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh by one shot in a dramatic finish at the Delhi Golf Course.
Joshi underlined India’s domination at the US$400,000 Asian Tour event, becoming the seventh Indian winner in eight editions. Australia’s Wade Ormsby remains the only foreign winner, in 2013.
Another local favorite Ajeetesh Sandhu managed a 2-under in the final round to end tied third alongside Suradit Yongcharoenchai of Thailand.
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