Sean O’Hair used a rock-solid long game to win the US$6.4 million Quail Hollow Championship by one stroke on Sunday.
Despite failing to hole a putt from outside 10 feet during the entire tournament, the 26-year-old edged fellow Americans Lucas Glover (71) and Bubba Watson (70) in a battle of attrition.
Tiger Woods finished two shots behind O’Hair alone in fourth place, after parring the final 10 holes.
O’Hair carded 69 to finish at 11-under-par 277, just holding on after bogeying the final two holes in a testing breeze.
“I struck the ball phenomenal this week,” said O’Hair, who collected US$1,152,000 for his third PGA Tour victory. “Yesterday was probably the best I’ve struck it ever and today was pretty solid, especially coming down the stretch.”
“This is one of those courses you have to have the whole package,” he said.
O’Hair’s victory came barely a month after he frittered away a big lead before finishing second to Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.
“Losing sucked at Bay Hill,” O’Hair said. “Even though it’s tough to lose a five-shot lead against Tiger, you still learn a lot from it. I think it’s just experience.”
“I talked to my coach and my caddie and we all said that all I have to do is keep putting myself in those situations and at some point I’ll learn how to win,” he said.
O’Hair seized the advantage on Sunday with birdies at the 15th and 16th holes, but promptly gave them back by bogeying the final two holes, including a three-putt at the last.
That gave Glover a chance to possibly force a playoff but his approach went over the green at the par-four 18th and he missed his chip back for birdie, ending his chances.
Earlier, third rounder leader Zach Johnson triple-bogeyed the par-three second, and he faded to finish tied for 11th on seven-under 281, while New Zealand teenager Danny Lee tied for 38th at two-under in his second start as a professional.
Woods, who nearly won the tournament despite clearly being nowhere near his best, was perplexed at his performance.
“It was one of those weird weeks,” Woods said.
“I didn’t feel comfortable with my swing, especially today. With this wind, you have to flush it to keep it going through the wind and I wasn’t doing a very good job of that today,” he said.
■SPANISH OPEN
REUTERS, GIRONA, SPAIN
Frenchman Thomas Levet overcame early setbacks to secure a two-stroke victory in the Spanish Open and land his fifth European Tour title on Sunday.
Levet posted a final-round 68 for an 18-under-par aggregate that saw him home ahead of Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti.
Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Peter Lawrie of Ireland shared third place, four adrift of Levet, who paid tribute to Seve Ballesteros, the Spaniard who is recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor.
“I dedicate this win to Ballesteros,” Levet told reporters. “He was my hero as a kid and has always been my inspiration.”
Two strokes ahead of Briton Stuart Davis overnight, Levet had conceded the lead by the third after the rookie Englishman birdied the first three holes.
Davis moved two strokes clear but his double-bogey on the short fifth drew the pair level and Levet then moved back in front with three successive birdies from the sixth.
Zanotti, beginning the round five behind Levet, also picked up shots on the first three holes and subsequently proved to be the 2004 Ryder Cup-winning Frenchman’s chief rival as Davis’ challenge disintegrated after the turn.
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