US Open champion Lucas Glover won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf by closing with 5-under 66 to finish five shots ahead of Masters champion Angel Cabrera on Wednesday.
Cabrera also had a 66 and finished second after British Open champ Stewart Cink bogeyed the last hole for a 70. US PGA winner Y.E. Yang, still struggling with jet lag after a flight full of delays from South Korea, shot 70 to finish last among the four major champions.
Glover brought a new set of irons to start getting ready for next year, and it worked out beautifully at Port Royal Golf Course.
PHOTO: AFP
“I brought out new irons this week with the new grooves just to try and see how they work, because I wanted a couple of rounds under my belt with this new model,” Glover said. “So Nike made a good set, and I think I like them.”
A new rule changing the dimensions of grooves in irons starts next year, although it is expected to affect wedges the most, and Glover kept his old wedges in the bag this week because he did not want to give up too much of an advantage.
Ultimately, he won with his putter, especially the birdie putts on the ninth, 10th and 11th holes to pull away. Cink made bogey on the 12th and 13th, eliminating any drama in Bermuda.
Glover finished at 11-under 131 and earned US$600,000, pushing his total for the year over US$4 million.
Cabrera, who won the Grand Slam two years ago when it first moved to Bermuda, finished at 136 and made US$300,000. Cink earned US$250,000 and Yang took home US$200,000.
For at least a couple of hours, it looked as though the 36-hole event might be headed for a playoff for the third straight year.
Cink opened with two birdies, and another birdie at No. 5 gave the British Open champ the lead. Glover’s birdie on the ninth put him in a tie for the lead as they headed to the back nine, and it was over four holes later. Glover birdied the next two holes, Cink followed with two bogeys and no one else had a serious chance of catching the US Open champ.
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