Gary Woodland wins maiden PGA Tour event of Transitions Championship in Florida
The four day event of Transitions Championship came to a conclusion yesterday at the par-71, Salamander Golf course in Florida, with American Gary Woodland coming from behind to capture his maiden PGA Tour victory.
Woodland carded a final round score of four-under par, 67 which was enough for him to secure the title. The 26-year old played exceedingly well throughout the four days and had under-par rounds. He had seven birdies and three bogeys on the final day, but still managed to squeeze a brilliant round. The drop shots came on hole numbers 11, 15 and 16.
Woodland’s stats for the final day were amazing. His hot putter favoured him throughout the day as he only made 23 putts in 18 holes. The youngster won by a mere margin of a single stroke over Webb Simpson. There were a couple of bogeys marked on his card but it was followed by a couple of birdies as well.
\After clinching the trophy, Woodland said, "I can't come out here and hit the golf ball 900 yards and win. I was very conservative this week, laid back almost all day — all four days — and just tried to get the ball in the fairway, get it on the green and let the putter do the work. That's what I'm learning."
As for Simpson, he had to content with the second spot. He had a deficit of just a single stroke after completing the final round. The youngster had a moderate final round and carded a two-under par, 69 for the day.
The 25-year old Simpson was in contention before he lost a stroke on the final hole. He only needed a par on the final par-4, 18th to go in a playoff with Woodland. His card showed four birdies and two costly bogeys. The bogey on the final hole 18th proved to be a costly one as he missed a long par putt. He had a four round aggregate score of fourteen-under par, 270.
Scott Stallings, who earlier had a hole-in-one in the third round, also failed to produce brilliance on the final day. He posted a final round score of one-under par which included five birdies, two bogeys and a disastrous double bogey. Stallings had a total score of twelve-under par, 272 and finished for the third position.
The overnight leader Justin Rose of England was rather pressurised by the situation. He carded a disappointing round of three-over par, 74 and was tied for the fifth spot. Rose had a total four round score of ten-under par, 274.
Spaniard Sergio Garcia who was playing his first PGA Tour event after seven months managed to finish among the top-twenty positions. Garcia had a rather steady final round of even-par and was satisfied with his comeback performance.
Defending champion Jim Furyk finished tied for the thirteenth spot and had a final round of one-under par, 70. Furyk had a total aggregate score of eight-under par, 270.
The victorious Woodland has got an invitation to play in the major tournament of Masters which starts next month. He picked up the winning trophy and a cheque of US$990,000. He is now at the third position in the FedEx Cup points table.
Tags: