Thursday 5 May 2016 17:57, UK
Brian Stuard clinched his first career victory as the storm-ravaged Zurich Classic of New Orleans finally concluded on Monday at TPC Louisiana.
Stuard birdied the second play-off hole to earn a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour as well as an invite to next year's Masters after he had finished level with Jamie Lovemark and Byeong-Hun An after 54 holes with the tournament reduced to three rounds.
Lovemark missed two great chances to collect his maiden victory, while An was eliminated at the first extra hole having earlier set the clubhouse target with a superb up-and-down for birdie at the 18th which capped a closing 65.
The South Korean, who will defend his BMW PGA Championship title at Wentworth at the end of the month, was then joined at the top when Stuard also did well to close with a four, while Lovemark hit the final green in two but then three-putted from over 90 feet, leaving his nine-foot birdie putt agonisingly short.
Lovemark, who carded three birdies in four holes after the turn and made a clutch up-and-down to scramble a par at the 17th, had to settle for a 68 and Stuard a 69 before they headed back to the 18th tee with An.
The three leaders all pulled their drives and were forced to lay up, but An tugged his third left of the green from just 80 yards and then duffed his chip, his ball failing to reach the putting surface.
An missed his par attempt, while Stuard's 15-footer for birdie slid past the hole and Lovemark did likewise from 12 feet, and the two Americans jumped in a cart and raced back to the tee with further bad weather closing in fast according to the radar.
Stuard was again in trouble off the tee and laid up once again, while Lovemark split the fairway but then pulled his second into a poor lie to the left of the green.
Stuard then struck the decisive blow when he knocked a sublime 171-yard third to within three feet of the flag, and Lovemark was unable to hit the green with his third before his pitch for birdie trundled past the hole.
And Stuard then held his nerve to rattle home the winning putt, completing 56 holes without a single bogey while he holed every putt from inside 10 feet, and he became the first player to win a PGA Tour event without dropping a shot since Lee Trevino at the same tournament in 1970.
One of the stories of the season was almost provided by Bobby Wyatt, who was playing on a sponsor's invite and carved his way through the field with an eagle at the second followed by four birdies in five holes in an outward 30.
The 23-year-old moved to eight under for the day with further birdies at 11 and 13, but he then three-putted the next two greens before finishing with a flourish with birdies at 16 and 18 rounding off a stunning 64 which set the clubhouse target at 14 under.
Wyatt missed out on the play-off by one stroke, but he had done enough to finish alone in fourth place ahead of world No 1 Jason Day, who birdied the 11th, 13th and final holes after the early resumption to finish on 13 under along with Chris Kirk (65) and Jhonattan Vegas (70).
