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SPORTS Monday 23 noveMber 2020
Streb nearly holes out in a playoff to win at Sea Island

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. of August 2023, and he re-
(AP) — Robert Streb made turns to the Masters in April.
an 8-foot par putt to stay Streb also extended a
alive in a playoff and end- trend in his new PGA Tour
ed it on the second extra season that began in Sep-
hole Sunday with a pitch- tember, joining other play-
ing wedge that came an ers who ended long vic-
inch from going in, giving tory droughts. Stewart Cink
him a victory over Kevin Kis- won the Safeway Open for
ner in the RSM Classic. his first victory in 11 years.
Streb won for the second Martin Laird ended seven
time on the PGA Tour, his years without winning in Las
other title also coming in Vegas. Brian Gay won in
a playoff at Sea Island six Bermuda, his first victory in
years ago. more than seven years.
He rallied from a five-shot In 11 tournaments of the
deficit in 2014. This time, he new season, Streb is the
lost a three-shot lead until a fifth winner to be ranked
6-iron to 12 feet on the par- outside the top 300 in the
3 17th hole for a birdie that world.
allowed him to close with a Kisner did well to get in the
2-under 68 and force extra playoff after starting five
holes. Robert Streb drives his ball off the second tee during final round of the RSM Classic golf tourna- shots back. He made five
Kisner, whose first of of three ment, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020, in St. Simons Island, Ga. birdies in 10 holes, includ-
PGA Tour titles came at Sea Associated Press ing a pitch from thick rough
Island in 2015, closed with a in the middle of a sandy
63. from about 30 yards away softly and rolling just over had to return to the Korn waste area to tap-in range
They finished at 19-under still came up some 8 feet the left edge of the cup. Ferry Tour Finals more than on the par-5 seventh. He
263, one shot ahead of short. Kisner's tee shot settled in a year ago just to regain full caught Streb with a 6-foot
Cameron Tringale (62). Kisner missed, and Streb the Bermuda rough to the status on the tour. Because birdie on the 13th hole, and
Kisner had the advantage rolled in his par putt. They right of the fairway, and his of the COVID-19 pandem- stayed in the game with an
on the 18th hole on the returned to the 18th again, approach bounded over ic that shut down golf for 18-foot par putt from the
Seaside course for the first and Streb had a flyer lie in the green. Knowing his chip three months, no one lost fringe on the next hole.
playoff hole. His approach the rough left of the fair- had to go in, he ran it some his current status. Streb Streb missed a pair of
caught a good bounce way. He went with pitch- 20 feet by and holed that missed out on the PGA Tour 5-footers on the back nine,
and left him a 15-foot birdie ing wedge from 158 yards for a meaningless par with postseason again, but kept one for par and another for
putt, while Streb drove into expecting it to come out Streb inches away. his card. birdie on the par-5 15th, but
the bunker, couldn't reach hot, and it did. It was close The victory came at just Now he has a two-year ex- he delivered the key shots
the green and his pitch to perfect, the ball landing the right time for Streb, who emption through the end when he needed. q

Medvedev tops Thiem for 1st ATP Finals title as season ends

LONDON (AP) — Nearing coronavirus pandemic. — by sneaking forward
defeat, Daniil Medvedev Medvedev went 5-0 in all, behind a return, making a
suddenly switched tactics quite a turnaround from a forehand volley winner and
at the ATP Finals and col- year ago, when he went going up 3-2.
lected the biggest title of 0-3 at the ATP Finals. The That was enough, because
his career by beating U.S. tournament now ends its Medvedev never faced a
Open champion Dominic dozen-years run in London, break point the rest of the
Thiem 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 on moving to Turin, Italy, next way; he finished with 12
Sunday. year. aces.
The fourth-ranked Medve- The 24-year-old Russian A key shift came in the sec-
dev became the first play- closed 2020 by going 10-0 ond-set tiebreaker, thanks
er to beat each of the men in November, including to a change in style from
who were Nos. 1-3 in the seven wins against mem- Medvedev.
season-ending champion- bers of the Top 10. He had Thiem had grabbed a 2-0
ship — and only the fourth zero victories over Top 10 lead there, before Med-
to do it at any tour event in opponents over the pre- vedev stormed back, us-
the past 30 years. ceding 12 months. ing an element of surprise Daniil Medvedev of Russia holds up the winners trophy as con-
The comeback against No. Thiem's defense and power by rushing to the net more fetti falls after defeating Dominic Thiem of Austria in the final of
the ATP World Finals tennis match at the ATP World Finals tennis
3 Thiem, which lasted more from the baseline put him often than usual — both tournament at the O2 arena in London, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020.
than 2 1/2 hours, added to on top early, and strong behind serves and returns Associated Press
victories Medvedev pro- serving at key moments — and reeling off the next
duced against No. 1 Novak allowed him to save the seven points. Medvedev straight sets in the semifinals shot on one, reacting by
Djokovic in the round-robin first eight break points he continued with that strat- in New York in September putting his hands on his hips,
portion of the tournament faced. But Medvedev, the egy to great effect in the en route to his first Grand and Medvedev produced
and No. 2 Rafael Nadal runner-up to Nadal at the final set, too. Slam trophy. an ace on the other.
in Saturday's semifinals on 2019 U.S. Open, finally con- It seemed to throw off In the second set Sunday, Thiem stumbled and tum-
an indoor hard court with- verted on his sixth break Thiem, who had won three Thiem had break opportu- bled to the court in the next
out spectators, who were chance of the third set of the pair's previous four nities to take a 4-3 edge, game, but appeared to be
barred because of the — and ninth of the match matches, including in but he badly missed a short OK.q