Collin Morikawa claimed a primary PGA Tour title since 2023 with a dramatic one-shot victory on the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am, the place Scottie Scheffler threatened a historic comeback.
Morikawa began Sunday two behind Akshay Bhatia and fell additional again with a sluggish begin to his closing spherical at Pebble Seashore Golf Hyperlinks, the place tee occasions have been introduced ahead as a result of risk of dangerous climate.
The 2-time main champion reached the flip in 34 and moved prime of a congested leaderboard by following a 10-foot birdie on the eleventh with back-to-back features on the fifteenth, giving him a two-shot lead with two to play.
Collin Morikawa claimed a primary PGA Tour title since October 2023
Morikawa recovered from a bogey on the par-three seventeenth to birdie the par-five final, tapping in from shut vary to finish a five-under 67 and end on 22 below forward of Min Woo Lee and Sepp Straka.
Scheffler carded a round-of-the-day 63 to leap into tied-fourth alongside Tommy Fleetwod and shut an 18th consecutive top-10 end on the PGA Tour, as Rory McIlroy signed off his title defence with an eight-under 64 to assert a share of 14th.
How Scheffler threatened historic comeback
Scheffler was 13 strokes off the midway lead and eight again heading into the ultimate day, the place he raced up the leaderboard by holing a 15-footer on the first, eagling the par-five subsequent and selecting up one other shot on the par-four third.
He responded to lacking a close-range birdie probability on the fourth by holing from 15 toes to avoid wasting par on the subsequent and making an eagle on the par-five sixth, then cancelled out a birdie on the par-three seventh with a bogey on the subsequent to card a front-nine 30.
Scheffler has not completed exterior of the highest 10 on the PGA Tour since The Gamers final March
Scheffler made back-to-back birdies from the tenth to briefly get inside one of many lead and bounced again from a bogey on the twelfth by scrambling a par on the subsequent, with the world No 1 profiting from the par-five 14th to maneuver right into a share of the lead.
A poor bogey on the fifteenth and missed alternatives over the following two holes left Scheffler requiring a final-hole eagle, which he delivered after firing a spectacular iron shot to inside three toes of the outlet.
“I needed to do one thing particular immediately to present myself an opportunity,” Scheffler mentioned. “I used to be enjoying actually aggressive, a bit extra aggressive than perhaps I usually am, so a number of bogeys on the cardboard.
“I’ve felt like I am battling all week simply to present myself an opportunity after which to have some particular stuff occur immediately and put myself within the clubhouse with an opportunity is all the time good.”
Morikawa holds off bunched leaderboard
Three different gamers have been nonetheless on the course on 20 below when Scheffler produced his eagle end, with Morikawa, Jacob Bridgeman and Sam Burns having 5, 4 and three holes to play respectively.
Morikawa bought up and down from off the inexperienced to scramble pars on the thirteenth and 14th earlier than holing from 30 toes to edge forward on the par-four subsequent, then undid his birdie on the sixteenth by bogeying the par-three subsequent.
The numbers behind Collin Morikawa’s victory
Lee birdied 4 of his final six holes to set the clubhouse on 21 below and transfer degree with Morikawa, who confronted a 19-minute wait to play his method shot into the par-five final because the group forward struggled to complete the outlet.
Morikawa discovered the suitable fringe of the inexperienced and lagged a putt from the perimeter to a foot of the goal, then tapped in to assert a primary PGA Tour title because the Zozo Championship in Japan in October 2023.
Scorecard from Morikawa’s closing spherical
Lee was joined on 21 below by Straka after the Austrian performed his final three holes in 4 below, with Fleetwood birdieing 4 of his closing six holes to affix Scheffler two strokes behind Morikawa.
“I stored believing in myself,” Morikawa mentioned. “This did not really feel potential initially of the week, however with the suitable steps and perception, I used to be capable of put one foot in entrance of the opposite, hit some nice photographs and make some nice putts.”
Burns briefly led after six birdies in his first 13 holes however bogeyed the par-three seventeenth to complete tied-sixth with in a single day chief Akshay Bhatia, as Bridgeman bogeyed two of his final three holes to drop again right into a share of eighth.
McIlroy had eight birdies in his solely bogey-free spherical of the week, together with 4 in a five-hole stretch on his entrance 9, with the world No 2 – who ended 5 photographs again – glad along with his sport heading right into a busy stretch on the PGA Tour season.
Rory McIlroy carded rounds of 68, 67, 72 and 64 throughout his title defence, having claimed a two-shot victory ultimately 12 months’s occasion
“There was a few harmful tee photographs yesterday however every thing feels in fairly fine condition,” McIlroy mentioned. “However all-in-all some actually good things this week and I am fairly inspired going into subsequent week for positive.”
What’s subsequent?
The PGA Tour stays in California for the Genesis Invitational, one other Signature Occasion, with Tiger Woods’ basis internet hosting the occasion at Riviera Nation Membership in Pacific Palisades.
Ludvig Åberg returns as defending champion, with early protection dwell on Thursday from 3.15pm on Sky Sports activities Golf forward of full protection from 9pm. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
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