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HONOLULU (AP) – Grayson Murray hit a 3-foot wedge for birdie on the 18th hole for a 3-under 67 to move into a three-way playoff and then set himself up to win the Sony Open with a 40-foot birdie putt. have done. Potentially profitable year.
Murray felt like a new man even before the season started in Hawaii. He says he has been sober for eight months and is in better shape than me.
But this win – their first in more than six years – came at an ideal time.
The win not only earned him a spot at the Masters for the first time, but also earned Murray a spot in the $20 million signature event for the rest of the season.
As big as this win was for Murray, it was a tough loss for Byung Hun An and Keegan Bradley.
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Ann fell short of the par-5 18th green in thick rough in the playoff and pitched to 4 feet, giving her her best chance to win. But while Murray missed a 40-foot putt and Bradley missed an 18-foot birdie putt, Ann missed a short putt.
Ann had a birdie on the 18th after scoring 64 in regulation.
Bradley broke the five-way tie with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole. But he had par the rest of the way for a 67, missing the fairway on the regulation 18th and hitting a sand wedge about 20 feet short of the pin, taking away a good birdie chance.
In the playoffs, he was in the best position off the tee. His 5-wood went into the hospitality area to the left of the green, and his pitch fell significantly short.
Murray got into trouble with PGA Tour discipline in Honolulu three years ago. He later took to social media to criticize the tour for not helping with his drinking. Kevin Na also got into an argument on social media when Murray made fun of Na’s pace of play.
He was angry and his career was going nowhere after winning the opposite field event at the Barbasol Championships in 2017.
But now he is in a better place. Murray attributed his peace to becoming a Christian, getting engaged, and dedicating himself to the Korn Ferry Tour last year with hopes of returning to the big leagues.
“It’s not easy, you know?” He said. “I wanted to give up many times – give up on myself, give up on the game of golf, give up on life sometimes. When you get tired of fighting, let someone fight for you.”
He finished at 17-under 263. Murray earned a little less than $1.5 million. There are seven signature events left this season and Murray has a place in all of them.
“I knew my life wasn’t going to change today,” he said. “But it changed my career.”
Carl Yuan and Russell Henley each finished with 63 and had chances.
Henley was at 17 under until he pulled his tee shot left on the 16th, made a strong recovery but ultimately missed a 4-foot par putt. On the closing par 5, his drive went into such a deep lie in the rough that he had no chance of getting close to the green and missed a 10-foot birdie chance.
Yuan made his mistake on the par-3 17th, missing the green to the left and missing a 4-foot par putt to fall out of the lead. And it appeared he got a break on the 18th when his second shot went into the hospitality sector. The ball was never found, but rules officials spoke to some spectators and determined that it was somewhere in the hospitality area. They were given free relief and escaped unscathed.
But this did not help him. The best approach of the day on the 18th was hit to just under 15 feet and a two-putt birdie made him the first player to reach 17 under. Murray hit a wedge to 3 feet for birdie and Bradley missed his potential winner from inside 25 feet.
JT Poston finished the week alone in sixth place. He finished with 61 and was among seven players who had a share of the lead at one point.
When the final group was on the 14th hole there was a five-way tie for the lead.
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