Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Tuesday 16 January 2018
Kizzire outlasts Hahn on 6th hole of Sony Open playoff

By DOUG FERGUSON leaving the network scram-
AP Golf Writer bling to provide at least lim-
HONOLULU (AP) — Patton ited coverage of an event
Kizzire figured he was in for that ended in prime time
a long day when his putting after the NFL playoff games
stroke wasn’t up to his stan- were over. Golf Channel
dards. managed enough camer-
He just wasn’t expecting as to provide coverage of
the Sony Open to go this the final three holes — one
long. of their on-course report-
The longest playoff in more ers manned a camera on
than five years on the PGA the 16th tower — and all six
Tour finally ended Sunday holes of the playoff.
when Kizzire two-putted for It was worth the wait for
par from just off the green Kizzire. His goal is to get to
on the par-3 17th hole, and East Lake for the FedEx Cup
James Hahn’s 8-foot putt finale, and he is well on his
to keep it going caught the way with two victories so
right edge of the lip and early in the season.
spun away. “One win doesn’t neces-
“It wasn’t pretty,” Kizzire sarily mean a whole lot,”
said. “I was able to get it Kizzire said. “Two means
done.” a little more, and three is
Kizzire, who closed with a even better. I’m always
2-under 68, became the looking for the next one. I’m
first multiple winner on the super excited right now.”
PGA Tour this season. He Missing from the playoff
went head-to-head with was Tom Hoge, who did
Rickie Fowler and beat everything right in his bid
him by one shot in the OHL to win for the first time on
Classic in Mexico last fall the PGA Tour except for
for his first PGA Tour title. He one swing. He had a one-
was in a four-man battle shot lead when he was
on the back nine at Waia- between clubs on the 16th
lae that was whittled down hole, and opted to hit a
to Kizzire and Hahn, who draw to the back-left pin.
closed with a 62 to match He turned it too much and
him at 17-under 273. it found the bunker. His next
And the fun was just get- shot got hung up in the
ting started. shaggy rough, he chipped
Kizzire had to watch three that to 12 feet and missed
times as Hahn had a putt to to make double bogey to
win, two of those putts from slip one shot behind.
6 feet and 10 feet on the Hoge gave himself two
par-5 18th hole. Kizzire had Patton Kizzire holds the Sony Open golf tournament trophy after defeating James Hahn in a six good chances with putts of
two putts to win, though hole playoff, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018, in Honolulu. about 7 feet. Both burned
both of them were in the Associated Press the edge. He shot 70 and
30-foot range. Hahn has won both his PGA ing with a 62 to even have “I played good enough to had to settle for third place,
“That playoff was quite a Tour title in playoffs, at Riv- a chance was no consola- win, but I didn’t,” he said. his best finish on the PGA
marathon,” Kizzire said. iera and Quail Hollow. Clos- tion. “So for me, no matter how Tour.
many birdies I make, if I’m “This sets me up a lot better
Scott Parel wins Diamond not coming out of the room for the rest of the year, and
with the trophy, it really hopefully made the FedEx
feels like I was defeated Cup playoffs,” said Hoge,
Resorts Invitational in playoff out there. I had a putt to a 28-year-old from North
win it. I’m going to be play-
Dakota who hasn’t kept his
ing that over and over and full card his previous three
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Scott In regulation, Dunlap made fore turning pro at age 31. over again.” years on tour. “More so just
Parel beat fellow PGA Tour an 8-foot birdie putt for Dunlap had 34 points in the The six-hole playoff was the the confidence I had to
Champions player Scott three points, and Parel scoring system that awards longest on the PGA Tour play in the final group and
Dunlap on the first hole of failed to get up-and-down six points for eagle, three in just over five years, and play well today.”
a playoff Sunday to com- and made a bogey to fall for birdie, one for par, zero given how the week trans- Brian Harman, who played
plete a wire-to-wire victory into the playoff. Unable to for bogey and minus-two pired, it was only fitting. in the final group at both
in the Diamond Resorts In- play a practice round be- for double bogey or worse. Saturday brought panic to Hawaii events, was two
vitational. fore the event because John Daly was third with 88 the islands with a push alert shots behind after a tap-
The 52-year-old Parel won of the flu, Parel earned points after a 34-point day. of a ballistic missile strike in birdie at No. 12. But he
the 32-player professional $125,000. Parel and Dun- Five-time LPGA Tour winner that turned out to be a three-putted for bogey
division with a par on the lap finished with 93 points in Brooke Henderson, playing false alarm. from long range on the
extra hole, the 203-yard the 54-hole Modified Stabl- from the same tees as the There was a real strike on 13th, took two shots to get
18th at Tranquilo Golf Club. eford event, Parel earned men, was seventh with 80 Sunday — the audio and out of the bunker left of
Dunlap hit a fat shot short 32 points in the final round. points. The 20-year-old Ca- video production workers the 16th green and had to
into water and made a He spent 10 years as a nadian had 25 points Sun- for Golf Channel walked settle for a 70. He tied for
double bogey. computer programmer be- day. q out over a labor dispute, fourth.q