Golf roundup: Will Zalatoris wins playoff in Memphis for PGA Tour breakthrough

AP photo by Mark Humphrey / Will Zalatoris celebrates after making a putt on the 18th green during the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday at TPC Southwind in Memphis. Zalatoris went on to defeat Sepp Straka on the third hole of a playoff to win the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs and earn his first win on the PGA Tour.
AP photo by Mark Humphrey / Will Zalatoris celebrates after making a putt on the 18th green during the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday at TPC Southwind in Memphis. Zalatoris went on to defeat Sepp Straka on the third hole of a playoff to win the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs and earn his first win on the PGA Tour.

MEMPHIS - The 10-foot par putt in regulation was so crucial, the moment so important that Will Zalatoris doesn't remember screaming out when he made it, "What are they going to say now?"

It took three playoff holes to get the answer Sunday in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and it was more along the lines of what they won't say.

Will Zalatoris is no longer the best player on the PGA Tour without a victory.

Already a force with three second-place finishes in the majors, the 25-year-old American got that first win out of the way with clutch putts and smart decisions to beat Sepp Straka at TPC Southwind and win the first event of the PGA Tour's three-legged FedEx Cup playoffs.

"It's hard to say, 'About time' when it's your second year on tour, but it's about time," Zalatoris said. "Considering all those close finishes, it means a lot."

He could have been referring to his second-place finish in the 2021 Masters, playoff losses this year at the Farmers Insurance Open and the PGA Championship or, most recently, the putt that burned the edge of the cup and kept him from a playoff in the U.S. Open.

This one could have gone either way, a playoff with three penalty drops in three holes, neither contender making a birdie and Zalatoris winning on the par-3 11th with a bogey.

He looked to be in trouble from a fairway bunker on the 18th in regulation until he made that 10-footer for par and a 4-under 66 to finish at 15-under 265. He was in the trees, close to a boundary fence on the 18th on the second playoff hole when he wisely chipped out and made a 15-foot par putt.

Nothing was more wild than the final hole. His tee shot hit the bank, then bounced seven times on the rocks before coming to rest. Straka followed with a shot that hit the bank, took one bounce off the rocks and went into the water.

A huge break for Zalatoris? Not really. He had no realistic shot.

Straka went to the drop zone and his wedge shot went into the back bunker. He played his fourth shot out to four feet as Zalatoris was still going over his options.

Zalatoris went to the drop zone, hit to seven feet and let his raised hands drop over his head in relief when he made the winning putt.

He moves into the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time and takes the No. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings, assuring him a reasonable shot at the $18 million prize in two weeks at the season-ending Tour Championship.

Straka, the Austria-born former University of Georgia golfer who was already a winner this year in the Honda Classic, narrowly missed a 20-foot birdie putt for the win on the 18th for a 67. He had a 25-foot putt for the win on the 18th on the first playoff hole and had to make a seven-footer the second time around to stay in the game.

Straka moves to No. 8 in the standings and is assured his first trip to the Tour Championship at Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club.

Lucas Glover came into the playoffs at No. 121 and knowing only the top 70 advance to the next tournament, but he closed with a 66 and tied for third with Brian Harman (67) at 12 under. Glover is now at No. 34, one of four players who moved into the top 70 along with Wyndham Clark, Andrew Putnam and Adam Scott.

Chattanooga native Keith Mitchell (70) tied for 31st and is moving on to the BMW Championship, which starts Thursday in Wilmington, Delaware. Fellow Baylor School graduate Stephan Jaeger (69), outside the top 70 entering the tournament and needing a high finish to advance, tied for 46th at 4 under.

photo AP photo by Mark Humphrey / Will Zalatoris, right, greets Sepp Straka after defeating Straka in a playoff to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday at TPC Southwind in Memphis. Zalatoris came out on top in the PGA Tour's postseason opener for his first career win.

Jimenez wins again

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. - Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Boeing Classic for his third PGA Tour Champions victory of the season, closing with a 5-under 67 to hold off David McKenzie (66) by two strokes.

Jimenez, tied for the lead with Billy Andrade entering the final round of the 54-hole event, birdied five of his first 12 holes Sunday and parred the last six. The 58-year-old Spaniard finished at 15-under 201 at Snoqualmie Ridge.

"Two bogeys on the first nine holes of the tournament and then the last 45 holes is bogey-free," said Jimenez, who won two of the first three events this season on the 50-and-older tour.

Jimenez has 12 career victories on the senior circuit after winning 21 times on the European Tour.

Andrade had a 71 to tie for third with Stephen Ames (69) at 11 under.

Rookie's second first

BALLYMENA, Northern Ireland - DP World Tour rookie Ewen Ferguson won the ISPS Handa World Invitational for his second victory of the season on the European circuit.

The 26-year-old from Scotland closed with a 1-under 69 to finish at 12-under 268 and complete a wire-to-wire victory at Galgorm Castle, adding to his win at the Qatar Masters in March.

Scotland's Connor Syme and Spain's Borja Virto were the runners-up after closing rounds of 68.

Ferguson, ranked No. 211 in the world, took a three-shot lead into the final round but was reeled in by England's Richard Mansell, who covered his first 10 holes in 5 under to tie for the lead. Ferguson responded with his third birdie of the day at No. 10 and parred his way home, while Mansell dropped shots on three of the last four holes. Mansell (68) finished at 8 under and shared fourth place with Denmark's Marcus Helligkilde (69) and Italy's Renato Paratore (64).

Virto closed within a shot thanks to five birdies in seven holes around the turn, but a bogey at No. 14 all but ended his bid to win.

Big bonus for Stark

BALLYMENA, Northern Ireland - Sweden's Maja Stark closed with a 10-under 63 to win the ISPS Handa World Invitational, and her third victory this year on the Ladies European Tour came with an additional perk.

The tournament is co-sanctioned with the LPGA Tour, giving the 22-year-old former Oklahoma State star access to join the top women's circuit - either immediately or next year, if she chooses to delay her rookie season.

It was the fifth Ladies European Tour win overall for Stark, who started the final round two shots behind American player Amanda Doherty but quickly seized control with a 31 on the front nine at Galgorm Castle. Stark had nine birdies through 14 holes and turned a tight race into a rout, finishing at 20-under 271 - five shots clear of runner-up Allisen Corpuz (68) of the United States. England's Georgia Hall (70) was third.

The tournament was held concurrently with a DP World Tour event of the same name. The men and women competed separately - and played from different tees - but for the same prize fund, with Stark collecting a career-high $225,000 from the $1.5 million purse.

Upcoming Events