Joe Durant finishes strong at the HP Byron Nelson Championship – Golf News
Joe Durant fired a five-under par 65 in the final round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship to tie for the third position on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Durant entered the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas as the fifth alternate after Joe Ogilvie announced his withdrawal from the event.
“Joe Ogilvie pulled out, and he gave me the "no go, you're in," I will have to send him a case of wine,” a happy Durant said.
He also told that he went to meet Ogilvie and asked about his health. There, Ogilvie asked Durant to take advantage of his sickness and play the best he can.
Yet, he failed to make a good start and recorded an even-par score in the opening round, followed by a one-over par 71 on Friday.
However, what he did after that was remarkable. The third round witnessed him going five-under for the round followed by the same performance on Sunday.
While entering the final round, he was four strokes behind the leader, Jason Dufner, and was tied for the eighth position.
He was confident to make a good start but failed, as he carded two consecutive bogeys on the second and third holes, pushing him back further on the leaderboard early in the round.
Yet, he bounced back with a birdie on the very next hole and did not look back afterwards.
A birdie-eagle-birdie streak starting from the sixth hole allowed him to go three-under through the front nine.
Another two birdies on the back-nine took him further close to the lead and finished two strokes behind the winner, Jason Dufner.
“You never know, you just go out and play the best you can,” he said. “I have done that so many times the past couple of years where I have been in decent shape going into Sunday and you feel like you're pedaling upstream”.
“My caddie said, ‘Hey, no one is going to die out here today. Let's play and give ourselves opportunities’ and from that point on I did. I hit greens and loaded the ball well,” he added.
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