Russell Knox nicknamed himself “The Beast” after playing two good rounds at the Travelers Championship.
On Sunday he doubled down on that after sinking a 12-foot putt on the final hole to save par and beat hometown favorite Jerry Kelly by one stroke, hours after Jim Furyk shot the first 58 in PGA Tour history.
“I felt like the Incredible Hulk when it went in,” Knox said. “I could have ripped my shirt off.”
Knox closed with a two-under 68 for a 14-under 266 total at TPC River Highlands. The 31-year-old Scot won for the second time on the tour, following his breakthrough victory in China in November last year in the WGC-HSBC Champions.
Kelly, a 49-year-old former University of Hartford player, finished with a 64. Furyk tied for fifth at 11-under. He opened with rounds of 73, 66 and 72.
Knox opened with consecutive 67s and had a 64 on Saturday. He took the lead with birdies at 13 and 14. He bogeyed the par-three 16th and missed a chance to seal it on the par-three 17th when his 20-foot birdie putt stopped an inch right of the hole.
The Scot hit his tee shot on the par-four 18th right and into the crowd, and his second shot into a green-side bunker below the hole. He pitched out short of the hole, setting up a putt that went straight into the hole. He did not tear his shirt off, but did send his hat flying in celebration.
“Everybody dreams of making a putt on the last hole to win a tournament,” he said. “I just kept telling myself, this is your chance to make a putt to have a great celebration and hear the roars. I’m glad it went in.”
Justin Thomas was almost an afterthought, despite shooting a 62 and stringing together five straight birdies to close out the front nine. He finished with nine birdies on the day and at 12-under for the tournament, tied with Patrick Rodgers for third place. Rodgers shot a 68.
Furyk, already one of six PGA Tour players to shoot 59, took advantage of soft, clean greens during the morning after Saturday afternoon rains.
The 46-year-old US golfer bounced in an eagle from 135 yards on his third hole, ran off seven straight birdies around the turn and picked up his final birdie on the 16th hole with a putt from just inside 24 feet.
He rolled in a short par putt on the final hole, thrust his arms in the air and waved his cap to salute thousands of fans who had rushed to the the 18th green to catch a stunning slice of history.
“No one else can say they’ve done that out here on the PGA Tour,” he said. “It’s really special.”
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