Caitlin Sellers, Will’s fiancee, called him and asked, “What is your plan if you don’t make it to the FedEx St. Jude Championship?”
Zalatoris stated that Zalatoris meant all of it in good humor on Saturday.
What did he say to her?
Zalatoris replied, “I told her let’s cross that bridge when you get there.”
He did more than just stay for the weekend. Zalatoris won a sudden-death playoff against Sepp Straka, and won his first PGA Tour title. He also climbed to the top of the FedEx Cup points standings.
Zalatoris stated, “We’ve been very close and to finally see it pay off has been amazing.”
The reigning Tour rookie-of-the-year, aged 25, shot a final round 4-under 66 at TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee. He became the second player to win his very first tournament in the playoffs. Camilo Villegas did it at the 2008 BMW Championship. Ranked No. Zalatoris was ranked No. 14 in the world at the start of the week. He already had a successful season that included eight top-10s, the highest number among players without a winning record. Zalatoris had been threatening to win his first PGA Tour title on numerous occasions. He missed a birdie putt at U.S. Open to force a playoff and also suffered playoff losses at Farmers Insurance Open, PGA Championship and PGA Championship.
Zalatoris planned his weekend and rebounded with a bogey-free round of 63. This was Zalatoris’ lowest round on Tour since January’s second round at the American Express. Zalatoris quickly figured out why he was so slow.
Joel Stock was Zalatoris’s new caddie. He didn’t let him read the putts the first day because they are still getting to know each other. Stock was Zalatoris’s sidekick since Ryan Goble, Zalatoris’s long-time caddie, left him in the middle last week’s Wyndham Champion.
Zalatoris shot a 65 Saturday to move within two strokes of leading. To take the lead, he birdied the three first holes of the final round, including the 15-footer at the last.
Lucas Glover started the week at No. He was No. 121 in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He made birdies at 16 & 17 to tie for the lead at 13, under. But he bogeyed the last hole, shooting 66 to tie for third. He managed to climb to No. He was 34th in points standings and among the top 70 who advanced to the second playoff event at the BMW Championship next week.
Zalatoris had a bogey at No. Zalatoris made a bogey at No. 7, but regained the lead by making a birdie. Sepp Straka (29), snapped a streak with six missed cuts but regained the lead with a birdie at 10.
Zalatoris, a Wake Forest graduate, and Straka (a Georgia grad), converted short birdie putsts at the par-5 16 th to climb up to 15 below. Zalatoris made a 310-yard drive from 18 to the fairway bunker. He failed to make it, pitched to 10 feet, and canned the par putt. Straka missed a 22-foot birdie shot to win regulation. They tied at 15-under 265.
After his 24-foot win putt, Straka had to putt a 6-foot par at 18. Both players salvaged par by returning to 18 after overcoming poor tee shots. The par-3 11 th hole was the most difficult. Zalatoris won the honours. His tee shot bounced off the retaining wall multiple time, avoiding water and settling between rough and wall.
Apart from Advantage Straka’s tee shot, his pond landing was a success. After a drop, his third shot flew the green and landed at the bunker. Zalatoris decided to drop the ball, instead of risking hitting against the rock wall. He hit his third shot from 94 feet, and it stopped at 7 feet from the hole. Zalatoris raised his arms in the air when his putt fell in.
Zalatoris won the victory and earned quadruple points. This also unseated Scottie Schffler, who had been in the lead since March but missed the cut Friday. Scheffler was still the World No. Scheffler remained World No. 1. Cameron Smith was penalized two strokes before the final round began for a penalty he took on the fourth hole of the third round. Smith was now trailing by just two going into the final round. Instead of leading by two, Smith’s deficit grew to four. Smith shot an even-par 70, and was T-13, six strokes behind.
By: Adam Schupak
Title: Will Zalatoris defeats Sepp Straka in wild playoff to win FedEx St. Jude Championship
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/08/14/pga-tour-will-zalatoris-sepp-straka-fedex-st-jude-championship/
Published Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2022 22:54:35 +0000
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