Bryson Deschambeau birdied the second playoff hole to win the Memorial Tournament over Byeong Hun An for his second career victory on the PGA Tour, and his first this season. A playoff between Deschambeau and An, along with Kyle Stanley, began on the 18th hole after the three men finished the tournament tied at 15-under par, one stroke ahead of Patrick Cantlay. Stanley was eliminated on the first playoff hole when he made bogey, while Deschambeau and An made par, sending the two of them back to the tee to play the 18th for the third and final time, including regulation play.
Final Round Action
Deschambeau would begin the final round at 14-under par with a one shot lead, over Kyle Stanley, Patrick Cantlay, and 19-year old Joaquin Niemann of Chile. Deschambeau shot one under par 35 on the front nine, but found himself two shots behind Patrick Cantlay, who shot 32 on the front nine to get to 17-under par. Three bogeys on the back nine doomed Cantlay’s chances, and he would finish at 14-under par, one stroke out of the playoff. Stanley shot one-under par on the front nine, made a double bogey at the 12th hole, then reeled off four straight birdies on holes 14 through 17, leaving him tied with Deschambeau at 16-under par going into the 72nd hole.
Byeong Hun An started the day at 12-under par and slipped all the way back to 10-under par with two bogeys in his first four holes. An would play bogey-free for the rest of the final round with five birdies, including two coming down the stretch at 15 and 17, to finish at 15-under par. When Deschambeau and Stanley both made bogey on the 18th hole, the three men were left tied at 15-under par and heading into the playoff that Deschambeau would go on to win.
Notables
Justin Rose finished in a tie for sixth at 12-under par, while Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, and Rory McIlroy all finished at 11-under par in a tie for eighth. Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, and Louis Oosthuizen all finished in a tie for 13th with 10-under par, while Tiger Woods finished at 9-under par and tied for 23rd place, and current Masters Champion Patrick Reed finished tied for 29th at 8-under par.
Other Tours
Thorbjørn Olesen uses the Callaway Mack Daddy 4
On the European Tour, Thorbjørn Olesen won the 2018 Italian Open at Gardagolf Country Club by one stroke over Francesco Molinari, firing a 7-under par 64 to finish at 22-under par for the tournament. It was the 5th career victory for the 28-year old from Denmark. Molinari was attempting to win his third Italian Open, having won in 2006 and 2016, and also for the second week in a row. Lee Westwood, European Tour and PGA Tour stalwart for so many years, and Miguel Angel Jimenez, who recently won his first senior major, both shot 8-under par 63 for the rounds of the day.
Joey Garber came from three strokes back going in to the final round to win the 2018 Rex Hospital Open at TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh, North Carolina by one stroke over Hank Lebioda and Scott Langley, finishing at 18-under par for the Web.com Tour event. All three men shot 5-under 66, as did Brian Campbell, who finished tied for fourth place with Michael Johnson, the overnight leader, who shot an even par 71.
Next Week
The PGA Tour heads to Memphis, Tennessee for the Fedex St. Jude’s Classic at TPC Southwind, while the European Tour will play in the The 2018 Shot Clock Masters, at Diamond Country Club in Atzenbrugg, near Vienna, Austria. As mentioned in our special U.S. Women’s Open report, the LPGA Tour will play in the ShopRite LPGA Classic, at the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, in Galloway, New Jersey, a 54-hole event, while the Web.com Tour moves to Ivanhoe, Illinois for the Rust-Oleum Championship at the Ivanhoe Club.
Later This Month
The 2018 U.S. Open will take place at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on Long Island, with play beginning on Thursday, June 14th and scheduled to end on Sunday, June 17th. This will be the 118th playing of the event known to American golfers as the “National Championship of American Golf”. With so many of the top players playing well, and an amazing and historic course, this promises to be a championship to remember.
