Tommy Fleetwood endured extra last spherical heartbreak as he missed a playoff received by Justin Rose by one shot on the PGA Tour’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Fleetwood shot a one-under par 69 to shut out the match at -15 total, one shy of Rose and playoff rival J.J. Spaun, who each charged house to arrange an exhilarating sudden dying showdown.
Rose’s birdie on the third playoff gap clinched his twelfth PGA Tour title after the 45-year-old got here from the clouds, making 4 straight birdies from holes 14 to 17 to match Spaun at -16 with a spherical of 67.
FOX SPORTS, out there on Kayo Sports activities, is streaming The 2025 PGA Tour LIVE & Unique | New to Kayo? Be a part of now and get your first month for simply $1.
The pair had each misplaced to Rory McIlroy in separate playoffs earlier this 12 months – Rose at The Masters and Spaun at The Gamers – they usually placed on a shot-making present, buying and selling birdies on the second playoff gap.
US Open champion Spaun caught it nearer to the relocated gap on their third journey down the 18th, nevertheless it was a case of first within the cup wins because the American was unable to match his seemingly Ryder Cup rival by draining the birdie putt.
Rose prevails in WILD St. Jude playoff | 03:46
“Yeah, that was an incredible final 90 minutes actually,” Rose stated.
“Appeared to be the best way it received this week. Once I received myself a couple of again, one thing good would occur. By no means stopped believing.
“The 6-iron I hit into 14 was a clutch shot; again proper pin, needed to hit the right golf shot in there. That arrange the birdie that I wanted simply to offer myself an opportunity.
“Performed unbelievable golf coming down the stretch. I had a lot enjoyable with it.
“18 was enjoying completely for me at the moment. If I pulled it, I carried it, if I held it up — I hit a pair good putts in regulation and within the first playoff gap as properly. Clearly J.J. dropped a bomb on me, I topped him. It was a whole lot of enjoyable at the moment.
“That’s why I follow. That’s why I play. I’ve been saying for a while now, clearly Augusta, once I carry my finest, I do know I’m adequate to play and to compete, and to now win in opposition to the very best gamers on the earth.
“Very gratifying day for me and a whole lot of exhausting work coming to fruition.”
In regulation, Spaun outduelled Scottie Scheffler, who completed in a share of third alongside Fleetwood, within the group in entrance of fine mates and Englishmen Rose and Fleetwood, capturing a 65 together with birdies at 16 and 17 that jumped him to the highest of the leaderboard.
Fleetwood agonisingly stays winless regardless of 29 top-five finishes on the PGA Tour, 11 greater than some other participant and not using a win within the final 40 years (Brett Quigley, 18), and 43 top-tens.
He’s additionally nonetheless the one participant to have earned greater than US$30 million in prize cash on the first US Tour with out having received a title.
Fleetwood’s newest heartbreaker comes lower than two months after he bogeyed the final gap as Keegan Bradley made birdie to win the Vacationers Championship by a shot.
“I don’t know,” Fleetwood stated when requested to explain his feelings in a post-round interview with broadcaster NBC Sports activities.
“Did a whole lot of good issues at the moment in the long run once more.
“I’m getting shut. That’s the nice signal of it. I’m getting actually shut.
“Once more on that again 9, managed to get myself forward.
“Performed some actually good golf. Putted rather well.
“Clearly Justin and J.J. have completed nice there and I simply didn’t fairly do sufficient.
“It received to these final three holes. Par 5 sixteenth and bogey on seventeenth.
“I don’t know. I’m clearly upset.
“If you mirror, have a look at the positives, I used to be proper in there with an opportunity.
“It’s exhausting, proper? It’s exhausting to win. There’s so many good gamers and I used to be subsequent to someone who performed unbelievable golf down the stretch there, and simply didn’t get it completed.”
The 34-year-old, who has received ten instances all over the world, held a removed from comfy one-shot lead after 54 holes, however appeared as if he could rectify his American hoodoo on the again 9 within the last spherical.
Fleetwood began shakily with a bogey on the first after hitting his opening tee shot right into a fairway bunker.
A run of ten straight pars adopted earlier than he made his transfer with three birdies in 4 holes from the twelfth to the fifteenth.
Throughout the closing stretch, factor went pear-shaped, nevertheless.
He scrambled to save lots of par on the par 5 sixteenth after taking reduction from a grandstand, chipping his third shot throughout the entrance of the inexperienced.
A bogey on the seventeenth then price Fleetwood a playoff place, timidly lacking a putt from just a little greater than two metres.
He walked off, figuring out it was a nasty putt nearly immediately after the putter face struck the ball.
‘The worst stroke we have seen…’ | 00:18
World No.1 Scheffler posted a three-under par last spherical 67 to complete one shot again of the playoff.
Scheffler needed to adapt on the run forward of the ultimate spherical as his caddie Ted Scott headed house to take care of a household matter.
Brad Payne, a chaplain who travels each week on the PGA Tour, stepped in to help Scheffler, nevertheless it was not for the primary time.
Payne did so throughout the weekend ultimately 12 months’s PGA Championship as after Scheffler’s notorious arrest, Scott departed to be at his daughter’s commencement.
The change didn’t appear to trouble Scheffler regardless of being unable to mount a severe run on the title.
His share of third prolonged his unbelievable kind line.
Scheffler has completed tied eighth or higher in his final 12 begins, together with having received 4 instances in that stretch.
Kurt Kityama (thirty eighth), Bud Cauley (forty sixth), Rickie Fowler (forty eighth), Jhonattan Vegas (forty ninth) and J.T. Poston (fiftieth) all performed their approach right into a tee time for subsequent week’s BMW Championship with spectacular shows leaping them into the highest 50.
They changed rookie Aldrich Potgieter (51st), Jordan Spieth (53rd), Jake Knapp (fifty fifth), Wyndham Clark (56th) and Australia’s Min Woo Lee (57th).
Lee began the week on the bubble in fiftieth within the standings, however rounds of 76, 72, 72 and 70 left him in a share of final place at +10.
Together with his season over, Lee was wanting to get away from the golf course as rapidly as doable within the last spherical.
Taking part in alone, as Rory McIlroy’s absence meant there have been 69 gamers within the discipline, the 27-year-old was first out and raced round TPC Southwind in simply two hours and ten minutes.
The speedy spherical was Lee’s better of the week, capturing an excellent par 70.
Fellow Australian Cam Davis’ season can be completed.
The 30-year-old completed in a tie for fiftieth at even par total following rounds of 69, 72, 67 and 72.
Davis wanted a giant week to crack into the highest 50 and he was the very best of the Australians, however in the long run he stayed at 69th within the standings.
Jason Day would be the solely Australian left standing within the penultimate occasion of the season.
The 37-year-old former world No.1 completed in a share of 56th at +2 for the match after rounds of 71, 68, 71 and 72.
The underwhelming week harmed Day’s probabilities of being within the high 30 that qualify for the Tour Championship.
He began the playoffs in thirty seventh place, however dropped all the way down to forty fourth.