William McGirt thought he hit it big when he won the Cabarrus Classic and pocketed US$16,000, the second-largest prize on the Tar Heel Tour.
That was in 2007, and it felt like a lifetime ago compared with the perks from winning the Memorial Tournament on Sunday.
The victory was worth US$1.53 million and a three-year exemption for a guy who once dreamed of simply having a PGA Tour card.
Photo: AFP
Waiting to congratulate him was tournament host Jack Nicklaus, who raved about the bunker shot on the 18th hole that kept McGirt in the playoff at Muirfield Village, and the flop shot from behind the 18th green that led to a six-foot putt and his first PGA Tour victory in his 165th try.
US Open qualifying? Take the day off. McGirt moves up to No. 43 in the world and was assured a spot in his first national championship.
“It will all sink in at some point,” McGirt said.
This was a long time coming.
McGirt could not count all the mini-tours he played and the self-doubts he ignored, including a four-month stretch in which he only saw his wife for four days. However, on Sunday against the strongest field of the year for a regular PGA Tour event, McGirt made his first victory one to remember.
He played the final 22 holes at Muirfield Village without a bogey. His final par in regulation was the most important, a two-putt from 65 feet for a one-under 71 that allowed him to join Jon Curran (70) in a playoff at 15-under 273.
McGirt won the way Nicklaus said he captured so many of his 73 times on the PGA Tour.
“I won half of my golf tournaments watching everyone else self-destruct, and that’s the way you win,” Nicklaus said. “I saw him coming down the stretch. I saw Jon coming down the stretch. The two of them played great. I felt that either one of them could have won.”
Dustin Johnson dropped three shots in four holes to start the back nine, and a fourth bogey on the 16th ended it for him.
Matt Kuchar was tied for the lead when he returned from a 90-minute rain delay and promptly hit the lip of a fairway bunker and made double-bogey. He never recovered.
Emiliano Grillo had a share of the lead until starting the back nine with four straight bogeys. Gary Woodland could not get up-and-down behind the 17th green and made bogey.
Curran, who knows Nicklaus from being a member at his Bear’s Club in south Florida, looked like a winner when he hit seven-iron out of a fairway bunker on the 17th hole to seven feet for birdie to join McGirt at 15-under.
McGirt was battling his swing and trying to hang on. He saved par from a bunker on the 17th. He had the long two-putt for par on the 18th hole and he was in trouble on the 18th in a playoff, facing a deep bunker shot to a back pin.
He expertly used the slope behind the hole and watched his shot roll back to a few feet to stay alive.
“That was a long bunker shot,” Nicklaus said.
“I don’t want to hit it again,” McGirt said in response.
Playing the 18th for the third time, Curran misjudged the strong wind at his back and went into the gallery above the green, and his pitch ran down the slope well past the hole, leading to a bogey. McGirt also went long and played a perfect flop shot to six feet for the winner.
“Surprisingly, I felt no nerves standing over that putt and poured it right in the middle,” McGirt said.
Johnson finished alone in third — his fifth finish in the top five this season — while Rory McIlroy (68) tied for fourth with Kuchar (73), Woodland (73) and J.B. Holmes (69).
Jason Day, a Muirfield Village member and No. 1 in the world, got to within two shots of the lead until he tumbled to a 74 and tied for 27th, matching his best result at the Memorial. Jordan Spieth shot 73 and finished 12 shots behind in a tie for 57th.
McGirt became the third straight Memorial champion to become a first-time PGA Tour winner, and it was the third straight playoff at Muirfield Village.
In his 12 years as a professional, he has played only one major, the 2012 PGA Championship. That was meaningful, even though he missed the cut, because he was coming off a close call at the Canadian Open, in which he did not look at the leaderboard the final round.
He ran into Tiger Woods, told him what he did, and he said Woods told him he was foolish for not looking. McGirt did not make that mistake twice, and when it was over, his name was at the top.
The US Open is now on his schedule, as are the PGA Championship at the end of next month and the Masters in April next year.
“I wondered for years if I would ever get to the PGA Tour,” McGirt said.
“And then once you get out here, OK, you’ve played 160 events. Are you ever going to win? But I think you have to get your nose bloodied some to learn how to handle it, and I definitely had my nose bloodied a few times,” he added.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and