DeChambeau makes big putts to outlast Westwood at Bay Hill
DeChambeau holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the front nine and a 50-foot par putt early on the back nine. He closed it out with a nervy 5-foot par putt for a 1-under 71 and a one-shot victory over the 47-year-old Westwood. For the second straight day, DeChambeau revved up thousands of fans on the par-5 sixth hole by smashing driver over the lake and leaving himself 88 yards away on the 565-yard sixth hole. Westwood tied him with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-5 12th, only to give it back with a three-putt on the 14th. DeChambeau's birdie putt slid by some 5 feet and he shook his arms in celebration when the par putt dropped.
Trevor Simsby gets unusual shot at WGC and holds his own
Trevor Simsby took that to another level last week at the Workday Championship. Simsby finished his college career at Washington and tried the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour Latinoamerica without any success. However, a few hours before Collin Morikawa won the Workday Championship, Branden Grace won the Puerto Rico Open. ... International players had won five consecutive PGA Tour events in Florida until Collin Morikawa won the World Golf Championship at The Concession. STAT OF THE WEEKAmericans have won nine of the last 11 majors and 10 of the last 11 World Golf Championships.
Tiger Woods to play with 11-year-old Charlie in Father-Son
The PNC Championship announced Thursday that Woods will play with 11-year-old son Charlie in the tournament that has paired major champions with their sons since 1995, the year before the 44-year-old Woods turned pro. “I can't tell you how excited I am to be playing with Charlie in our first official tournament together,” Woods said. The PNC Championship is Dec. 19-20 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando in central Florida. It allowed Fuzzy Zoeller to play with his daughter, Gretchen, and Arnold Palmer to play with his grandson, Sam Saunders. Until deciding to play in the PNC Championship, it was thought Woods ended the year at the Masters.
Zach Johnson, normal guy from Iowa, wins Payne Stewart Award
He won as a rookie and reached the Tour Championship in Atlanta, where one of the perks was attending a ceremony to watch Jay Haas accept the Payne Stewart Award. It brought Johnson to tears 16 years later when he was selected Wednesday to receive the Payne Stewart Award. As it enters its second decade, the award now is regarded as the most prestigious on the PGA Tour. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan referred to Johnson as a fearless underdog and a statewide hero in Iowa for his charitable work in his home state. Zach would say hes just a normal guy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but in truth, he has one of the most compelling stories on the PGA Tour in the last 25 years, Monahan said.