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SPORTS Monday 14 october 2019
Lanto Griffin saves par on last

hole to win Houston Open

HUMBLE, Texas (AP) — Six 8-foot par putt. Harrington, to at least force a play-
feet away from his first PGA who took 16 years to reach off stayed left. Hubbard
Tour victory, Lanto Griffin the PGA Tour and gave up closed with a 69. Griffin
never felt calmer. a year to stay with his wife played away from the wa-
It was only after his par putt as she battled cancer, bird- ter on the 18th, knowing he
fell into the middle of the ied the 15th with a two-putt could handle any shot from
cup Sunday in the Houston from 10 feet, hit his tee shot there because the pin was
Open that the 31-year-old to 3 feet for birdie on the to the left. His approach
Griffin struggle to contain 16th and was tied for the was just on the green, 60
so many emotions. lead until a three-putt from feet away, and it rolled 6 Lanto Griffin hoists the Championship trophy during presentation
He describes his parents as 45 feet up the ridge on the feet by. When he made the ceremonies after winning the Houston Open golf tournament
hippies and his childhood 17th hole. winner, he dropped his put- Sunday, Oct, 13, 2019, in Houston.
as flush with fun and love, Harrington missed a 15-foot ter and raised both arms Associated Press
short on cash. His father, birdie putt on the 18th and before covering his head. would ever happen, but at way to the big leagues. His
who bought him a starter shot 67. "Just a childhood dream. the same time, I believe in birdie on the 16th was his
set of clubs even though Hubbard had one last That's what we all play for," myself and I was extremely first since the eighth hole,
no one in the family ever chance with a bold tee he said. calm out there today. Just and while Griffin missed
played golf, died when shot on the 18th, one of He thought about the Mas- bizarre." birdie chances on both
Griffin was 12. A local pro in the toughest driving holes ters and Maui, where the Griffin won on the Korn par 5s on the back nine, he
Virginia, Steve Prater, gave on the PGA Tour with wa- year starts for PGA Tour win- Ferry Tour last year and in also converted a 6-foot par
him an honorary member- ter down the left side and ners, the FedEx Cup play- 2017. He also won in Uru- save on the 14th hole and
ship when Griffin's father a large bunker to the right. offs. It was a lot to take in. guay on the PGA Tour Lati- two-putted up a ridge on
died and continues as a That set him up with a short "It's mind-boggling," he noamerica in 2015 when the 17th, making a 4-footer
coach and mentor. iron to 25 feet, but his putt said. "Just didn't seem like it he was trying to make his for par.q
"This is going to be a week
that I'll never, never forget
— regardless what hap-
pens the rest of my career,"
Griffin said. "I feel very for-
tunate beyond words."
Locked in a tight race on
the back nine, Griffin took
the lead with a 35-foot
birdie putt on the 16th
hole, and then won with
that 6-footer for par, which
gave him a 3-under 69 and
a one-shot victory over
Mark Hubbard and Scott
Harrington.
All three were on the Korn
Ferry Tour last year. None
had ever won on the PGA
Tour.
The victory sends Griffin to
the Masters and the PGA
Championship, gives him
a two-year exemption and
forces him to come up with
a fresh set of goals for the
rest of the year. Except for
statistics that take a season
to complete, he ticked off
most of them in Houston.
He won.
He played in a final group.
He wanted to play in two
majors.
"I'll check whatever I have
off there and reevaluate
after this week," Griffin said.
Hubbard had the lead until
he missed his only fairway
of the final round on the
par-5 15th, into the high
grass of a hazard. He was
able to chop out across
the fairway into more thick
grass, hit his third into a fair-
way bunker and missed an