Paul Casey won the Valspar Championship, shooting a final-round 65 to claim his first PGA Tour title in nine years. Tiger Woods had a putt at the final hole to force a playoff but came up short. Here’s a look at how the final round played out on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook:
Leaderboard: Paul Casey (-10), Tiger Woods (-9), Patrick Reed (-9), Sergio Garcia (-8), Justin Rose (-7), Rory Sabbatini (-7)
What it means: First and foremost, it means Woods will have to wait for PGA Tour win No. 80. Woods started the day one off the lead and held a share of the top spot with a birdie at the first. That, however, would be his only birdie until the 17th hole, when he drained this amazing 44-footer:
Woods was unable to dial in his approach shots, like he did over the first three days, and couldn’t get a putt to drop. He made two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars for a solid, but not-quite-good-enough, 1-under 70.
What it ALSO means: Casey is a winner on Tour for the first time since the 2009 Shell Houston Open. The 40-year-old Englishman had 23 top-5 finishes on Tour since that win in Texas. And now that he’s decided to reclaim his European Tour membership, he’s a good bet to be on Thomas Bjorn’s European Ryder Cup team later this year.
Full-field scores from the Valspar Championship
Valspar Championship: Articles, photos and videos
Round of the day: Casey’s 65. An afterthought when the day began, Casey made seven birdies and one bogey. He also parred his final five holes under pressure, which was good enough for victory.
Best of the rest: Sergio Garcia had eight birdies and two bogeys en route to his 65, and with it, jumped 21 spots into fourth place.
Biggest disappointment: Brandt Snedeker. While overnight leader Corey Conners faded on Sunday, it would have been a surprise to see the 26-year-old Canadian hold his own in the final twosome. More, however, was expected of Snedeker. Much more. Playing with Woods for the second consecutive day, the eight-time PGA Tour winner shot 3-over 39 on the front side and 4-over 39 on the back for a 78. He went from one back into a tie for 31st. For his part, Conners shot 77 to finish T-16.
Shot of the day: We’ve already showed you Tiger’s incredible putt to make things (highly) interesting late on Sunday. But here’s Casey’s putt that actually won the tournament. This birdie at the par-3 13th got him to 10 under, ultimately, the winning number:
Walking it in.@Paul_Casey takes the solo lead.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/MxFUfr4ZRi
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 11, 2018
Quote of the day: “To get my second victory on the PGA Tour, it’s emotional,” Casey said. “[Woods] made winning looks so easy for a long time, but it’s not easy.”
Source: Internet
