Golf: Daniel Berger wins in Memphis for first PGA Tour title

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Daniel Berger won the FedEx St. Jude Classic on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, shooting a 3-under 67 to hold off Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Brooks Koepka by three strokes.

The 23-year-old Floridian had had never been in a final pairing until Sunday. When Mickelson, with his 42 career PGA Tour titles, closed within a stroke, Berger birdied three of his next four holes, highlighted by a 32-foot putt on the par-3 14th that pushed his lead to 13 under.

Berger finished at 13-under 267. He became the 13th first-time winner on tour this season and took home the winner’s check of $1.1 million in the 50th start of his career.

“It’s the greatest feeling,” Berger said. “You work so hard to get here and to finally be able to put the trophy up, there’s no way I can describe it.”

Mickelson and Stricker shot 67, and Koepka had a 66 in the round that was delayed three hours because of storms. Dustin Johnson had a 63, setting the back-nine record with a 29, to finish fifth at 9 under.

Berger also became the fourth first-time winner at this event in the past six years and 10th overall in Memphis.

Now he will head to Oakmont trying to do something no one has ever done before by following up a tour title by winning the U.S. Open. Only 11 have ever won a major after winning on tour, and Rory McIlroy was the last when he won the PGA Championship the week after taking the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2014.

The thunderstorms slowed down the confident Berger, and only for a hole. He had hit only hit three shots when the horn sounded. Play finally resumed at 4 p.m. local time, and Berger resumed by two-putting from 10 feet on No. 1 for bogey.

But the 2014-15 rookie of the year who already has finished second twice with a total of nine top 10s in his young career. He shook off the bogey by stringing together four straight pars with Koepka catching him atop the leaderboard at 9 under before bogeying No. 8. Berger birdied Nos. 6 and 11 to make the turn at 11 under.

He stumbled on No. 10, two-putting from 10 feet again for bogey. Mickelson went to 9 under with two birdies on his first three holes on the back nine, which included a 44-footer on the par-4 12th. Then Mickelson’s putter failed him as he just missed from 11 feet on No. 13 and 17 feet on No. 14 chasing his first win since the 2013 British Open.

Berger had no such issues as he rolled in putts of 8 feet on No. 12, the 32-footer on No. 14 and a 22-footer on No. 15. That proved more than enough margin as Mickelson birdied the par-5 16th.

Johnson rebounded from a 73 by shooting the best round this week before heading to Oakmont. He chipped in for eagle on No. 16 from 16 feet and holed out from 22 feet on No. 18 to set the back-nine record. That put him a stroke back of Berger who had 11 holes to play, but Johnson felt good about his game with the U.S. Open next.

“On the back nine, I had great looks on every hole,” Johnson said. “Struck it a little better. I got a little sloppy with my setup the first couple days. Caused me to mishit some shots. I’m real comfortable, real confident going into next week.”

Langer wins windy Senior Players Championship

Bernhard Langer won the Constellation Senior Players Championship for the third straight year, holing a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pennsylvania.

The 58-year-old German star won his seventh senior major title – his fifth in the last 11 majors – to tie Hale Irwin for second place on the career list, a victory behind Jack Nicklaus.

Three strokes ahead at 2 under entering the round on the difficult Wissahickon Course, Langer closed with a 3-over 73 to finish at 1-over 281 – the highest winning score in the history of the event first played in 1983. Mark O’Meara had the previous record at 7 under in 2010 at TPC Potomac in Maryland.

In contention this year at the Masters, Langer held off Miguel Angel Jimenez and Joe Durant, saving bogey with a 6-footer on the par-4 17th and getting his birdie putt to drop on the par-4 18th after it caught the edge and circled the cup. Jimenez and Durant each shot 68 for the low rounds of the day on the A.W. Tillinghast-designed course.

Langer parred 10 of the first 11 holes, making a bogey on the par-3 third. He also bogeyed the par-4 12th and was fortunate to escape with the bogey on 17.

Langer became the oldest winner in the history of the tournament and earned a spot next year spot in The Players Championship. He won in 2014 at Fox Chapel in Pittsburgh and last year at Belmont in Massachusetts.

Langer has three victories this year, also winning the Chubb Classic in Florida in February and the major Regions Tradition last month in Alabama. The two-time Masters champion is third on the tour victory list with 28, one behind Lee Trevino. Irwin is the leader with 45.

Brandt Jobe was fourth at 3 over after a 71.