Lingmerth wins Memorial on third hole of playoff
David Lingmerth didn’t crack over the final two hours Sunday at the Memorial, outlasting Justin Rose with a par on the third playoff hole at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, to win for the first time on the PGA Tour.
Showing great resolve and little emotion, Lingmerth gave a soft fist pump when his putt just inside 5 feet on the 10th green dropped. He earned every bit of that handshake with tournament host Jack Nicklaus.
“I can’t believe it,” the 27-year-old Swede said. “I’m so happy right now I don’t know where to go.”
He’ll be going to the Masters next year for the first time – but perhaps not the U.S. Open in two weeks. Lingmerth moves to No. 71 in the world and still has to qualify today.
It was the longest playoff in 40 years of the Memorial, and it could have ended much earlier – or been avoided – if not for so many clutch moments.
Rose overcame a shank from a bunker on the 18th hole in regulation and hit a 55-yard pitch out of deep rough to 3 feet to save par for an even-par 72 to force the playoff at 15 under. On the 18th in the playoff, Rose holed a 20-foot par putt that went in from the right side of the cup. That looked as if it might be a winner until Lingmerth calmly sank a 10-foot putt to match his par.
On the 18th on the second extra hole, Lingmerth got up-and-down from a bunker.
It ended on the 10th hole when Rose when into deep rough, hit a fairway metal into the gallery, chipped 18 feet by the hole and missed his par putt. Lingmerth two-putted from 45 feet.
Lingmerth closed with a 69.
Masters champion Jordan Spieth closed with a 65 and wound up two shots behind in a tie for third with Francesco Molinari of Italy, who was tied for the lead until hitting into the water on the 16th for a double bogey. He shot 71.
Tiger Woods showed improvement – it was hard not to after a career-worst 85 on Saturday. He shot 74 and finished last, 29 shots behind, with his worst 72-hole score (302) in his PGA Tour career.
LPGA Tour
Suzann Pettersen birdied two of the last three holes to win the Manulife LPGA Classic for her 15th LPGA Tour victory and first since October 2013.
Pettersen closed with a 3-under 69 in windy conditions for a one-stroke victory over Brittany Lang at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ontario.
Pettersen blasted out of a greenside bunker to 2 feet on the par-5 16th to set up a birdie that tied Lang for the lead, then hit a 5-iron to 8 feet for another birdie on the 191-yard, par-3 17th. The 34-year-old Norwegian parred the par-4 18th, hitting her long first putt to a foot.
Pettersen finished at 22-under 266. She ended a 35-event victory drought and is projected to jump from 10th to fifth in the world ranking.
Lang finished with a 65. She birdied Nos. 15-17 and closed with a par.
Champions Tour
Mark Calcavecchia won the Principal Charity Classic for his third Champions Tour title, shooting a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke victory over Joe Durant and Brian Henninger.
Calcavecchia never trailed during the final round at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa. The 13-time PGA Tour winner finished at 12-under 204.
Calcavecchia is coming off a serious hand injury. On Thanksgiving, Calcavecchia stumbled at his brother-in-law’s house and his right hand went through two panes of glass, slashing a tendon and leaving a finger dangling. He had surgery in early December and couldn’t swing a club for three months.