Joe Highsmith received his maiden PGA Tour title after a exceptional turnaround over the ultimate two rounds of the Cognizant Traditional at PGA Nationwide in Florida.
The 24-year-old needed to make a five-foot putt on the final simply to make the midway reduce on Friday in Palm Seashore Gardens, leaving him eight strokes again, solely to cost up the leaderboard with an unbelievable weekend comeback.
Highsmith carded back-to-back seven-under par 64s to cost by means of the sector and set the clubhouse goal at 19 beneath, with the American’s remaining 36 holes the bottom within the match’s historical past and securing him a two-shot win.
He’s the primary participant in 9 years on the PGA Tour to win after making the reduce on the quantity, following on from Brandt Snedeker’s 2016 Farmers Insurance coverage Open success, with Rory McIlroy among the many different gamers to have achieved it this century.
Highsmith described his bogey-free fourth spherical as “in all probability the very best of my life”, with 4 birdies in 5 holes from the ninth the important thing to placing himself in rivalry.
In that very same stretch of holes in a single day chief Jake Knapp – chasing a wire-to-wire win – threw away his probability of successful after opting to play his ball out of the water on the par-four Eleventh, failing and subsequently carding a triple-bogey seven.
Highsmith finally completed two away from compatriots Jacob Bridgeman and JJ Spaun, who posted rounds of 64 and 66 respectively, with Max McGreevy and Ben Griffin three strokes again in a share of fourth.
Knapp – who carded a history-making 59 spherical on the opening day – led to a share of sixth after a final-round 72, whereas Jordan Spieth completed in a share of ninth and Shane Lowry claimed tied-Eleventh on 13 beneath.
Highsmith’s victory means he’ll achieve automated entry into the rest of the PGA Tour’s Signature Occasions this season, together with an invitation to The Masters for his main debut subsequent month and a spot on the PGA Championship.
What’s subsequent?
The PGA Tour stays in Florida for the Arnold Palmer Invitational offered by Mastercard, held at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Membership & Lodge in Orlando, Florida. Scottie Scheffler returns as defending champion and Rory McIlroy is again in motion.
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