American Talor Gooch triumphed at the PGA RSM Classic on Sunday on Saint-Simon Island, Georgia, beating Canadian Mackenzie Hughes at the same time.
Gooch had entered the final round with a fairly comfortable three-strike lead and was never really threatened, with a clear six birdies on his fourth outing at Sea Island Golf Club. His cumulative 260 (-22) allowed him to afford the title.
Hughes for his part tried to close the gap of five strikes that separated him from the winner at the start of the last day of activities, but had to settle for second place. The Maple Leaf representative still took eight shots at par of 70, under nine birdies and a boguey, to wrap up the event with three strikes from the winner.
Of the five remaining Canadian representatives, Corey Conners finished with the highest ranking, tied for 22nd, with a score of 272 (-10). Taylor Pendrith (273; -9) and Michael Gligic (274; -8) finished just behind at 26th and 29th respectively.
For their part, Adam Hadwin (278; -4) and Roger Sloan (280; -2) had more trouble throughout the tournament, finishing in 51st and 61st places respectively.
LPGA: Jin Young Ko again!
Signing a final card of 63, South Korean Jin Young Ko successfully defended her CME Championship title Sunday in Naples, Fla.
It’s a fifth triumph this season for Ko – all of them in his last nine tournaments – and a career 12th.
“I played really well this week and it was a great week,” she said, receiving her trophy.
The champion wedged nine birdies without making a mistake in the fourth round of the event. With her performance of 265 (-23), she beat Japan’s Nasa Hataoka (64), one of three competitors with whom she shared first place after 54 holes.
The French Céline Boutier (68) and the American Nelly Korda (69) were also in the lead before starting this last day of activities, but their respective records of 270 (-18) and 271 (-17) placed them in third and fifth places.
The Canadian Brooke M. Henderson (71) had a day like her tournament. She subtracted a par twice, but also made an odd. His cumulative 282 (-6) gives him the 38th step in the final classification of the event. She was the only Maple Leaf representative to attend.