HARMAN STEALS SPOTLIGHT AT WELLS FARGO
Week 18

Brian Harman's gutsy performance earns him the win at Wells Fargo with an incredible finish on the 72nd hole gets him his second PGA TOUR title, moving to World No. 52

Nate Lashley started the final round of the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship two strokes back of Rafael Campos and K.H. Lee, and he carded a flawless 6-under-par 66 to win his first Web.com Tour title.

Jazz Janewattananond held his nerve when it mattered most to hold off a spirited charge by fellow Thai professional Varanyu Rattanaphaibulkij and win the MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan Golf Club moving to World No. 220

8TH MAY 2017 | 08:59 AM

PGA Tour – Wells Fargo Championship

Dustin Johnson was in the clubhouse, tied for the lead and poised for a chance to join an elite class with a fourth straight PGA TOUR victory. Brian Harman was on the last tee, knowing a birdie on the par-5 18th would be enough to win the Wells Fargo Championship.

Harman could have drawn it up differently, but not any better.

Switching from a 5-wood to a 3-wood for his 271-yard shot in the 18th, he went so long that he needed relief from a corporate chalet. His chip became harder because of tree limbs that made him go low, and his chip came out soft and barely got onto the green.

And then he rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt for a 4-under 68 and a one-shot victory Sunday over Johnson and Pat Perez.

"I didn't hit a great chip. It didn't turn out very good," Harman said. "But I guess it went where it was supposed to."

The greens at Eagle Point were so pure that Harman knew it was good when the ball was 5 feet from the cup. He turned and pumped his arms in a wild celebration that ended in a hug with his caddie, Scott Tway, for a victory that was a long time coming.

Harman won for the first time in nearly three years.

For Johnson, playing for the first time since a freak accident knocked him out of the Masters Tournament, it was the first time in nearly three months that he left a PGA TOUR event without the trophy. It wasn't from a lack of trying. Johnson made the cut on the number, and then went 67-67 on the weekend, including a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole, to nearly pull out another victory.

"I didn't have a lot of time off, so I didn't really know what to expect this week because I didn't really get to practice leading into this tournament, either," Johnson said. "Not much has changed. The first couple days I didn't play that great, but really played nicely on Saturday and Sunday and so I'm happy with where the game is going into next week."

Web.com Tour - Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship

Nate Lashley started the final round of the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship two strokes back of Rafael Campos and K.H. Lee, and he carded a flawless 6-under-par 66 to win his first Web.com Tour title.

Lashley’s 20-under-par 268 total placed him one stroke in front of Argentina’s Augusto Nunez at the end of regulation.

Seth Reeves, Tyler Duncan and the crowd favorite Campos finished 18-under-par 270 for a share of third.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Lashley, who picked up his first victory on Tour in his 35th start. “Words can’t really express it. I’m extremely happy and I feel extremely fortunate to be able to be here and be playing well and get a win this week.”

In his first appearance in Punta Cana, the 34-year-old from Scottsbluff, Nebraska, played 66 consecutive holes at Corales Golf Club without a blemish on his card. He was 2-over after his first six holes of the tournament, only to fight his way into a tie for fifth at the end of the third round.

“I just didn’t score well,” said Lashley, who carded a first-round 70. “It could have been a 4- or 5-under round, but that’s just the way golf is sometimes. A couple putts didn’t go in. There were bogeys but they weren’t good bogeys. I just told myself to keep playing and see what happens and it turned out great.”

It sure did, as Lashley recorded 22 birdies after the 2-over stretch and earned $112,500 for his first-place effort. Lashley, who placed T79 at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament in 2005, is now one step closer to achieving his dream after a significant jump up the money list.

Sunshine Tour - Investec Royal Swazi Open

Peter Karmis shot an inspired three-under-par 69 final round to win the Investec Royal Swazi Open with 49 points at the Royal Swazi Spa Country Club on Saturday.

Rounds of 67-70-62 and 69 earned him enough points to deliver him a second title in less than ten months when he won the Sun Sibaya Challenge. This victory could not have come at a better place than Royal Swazi. Karmis won twice on this course before in a different event and such is his love for Swaziland.

“I’m extremely excited and relieved at the same time,” he said after the win, “I was very stressful but we obviously play for that stress. We don’t play golf to have it easy; it’s supposed to be difficult. But I am very pleased to come out of it with a victory.”

One Asia – The 36th GS Caltax Maekyung Open

Sanghee Lee shot a final round 68, featuring two eagle threes on the front nine, as he came from three shots behind overnight leader Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand to beat 2015 champion Moon Kyongjun (68) by two strokes at Namseoul Country Club.

Phachara, who was bidding to become the youngest winner on OneAsia at aged 18 and the first non-Korean to win the title since American Mark Calcavecchia was victorious in 2004, double bogeyed the final hole for a disappointing five over 76.

The highly rated Thai, runner-up in the SMBC Singapore Open and the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth earlier in the year, finished in joint sixth spot, five shots behind Lee’s winning score of eight under 276 after a tough day.

Pro Golf Tour – EXTEC Pro Golf Tour by Czech One

Englishman  Ben Parker  who lives in Düsseldorf celebrated his second win of the season at the EXTEC Pro Golf Tour by Czech One in Liberec, Czech Republic.

Ffollowing rounds of 68, 67 and 70 strokes, with a total of 11 under par, the 29-year old finally had a one point lead on the German amateur Max Schmitt (71/69/66); Philipp Mejow from Berlin (69/67/71) lay one stroke behind Mejow.

“I’m really proud that I got a grip on this round and turned it around!” Ben Parker accepted the EXTEC Pro Golf Tour by Czech One winner’s cup with great satisfaction, a trophy that he had to fight hard for.

Nordic Golf League - Bravo Tours Open - by Visit Tønder

Alex Wrigley won Bravo Tours Open by Visit barrels. In superior style played Wrigley the 18 holes round in 69 strokes, three under par, and thus he beat Jeff Winther with two strokes and Antti Ahokas in third place with four beats.

Alex Wrigley started the day one stroke ahead of its two competitors in the lead ball, Jeff Winther and Icelandic Axel Boasson. But despite a bogey on the day's second hole, so it quickly became obvious that Wrigley was the best of all to handle the strong winds on Romo.

PGA Tour of Australasia - SP Brewery PNG Golf Open

Queenslander Cory Crawford has won the first Professional event of his career following a thrilling six-hole playoff against fellow Queenslander Brett Rankin at the SP Brewery PNG Open.

Crawford checked in as clubhouse leader after 72 holes at 10-under par and faced an agonising wait for Brett Rankin to finish his round, who was also 10-under, in the group behind him.

Rankin had the chance to seal victory in regulation but was only able to make par on the 18th, forcing a playoff for the second year in a row at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club.

The pair could not be separated through five playoff holes on the par-3 18th, both making par on all attempts.

On their sixth trip, both Crawford and Rankin hit their tee shot approximately 40 feet from the flag, Rankin would eventually bogey the whole giving Crawford an easy par for his first victory on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“It definitely means a lot considering I’ve had a really rough couple of years out here so it was good to get it all together in one week and obviously to get the win is fantastic,” said Crawford, who now has full exemption on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of 2018.

MENA Golf Tour – Mahasamutr Masters

Jazz Janewattananond held his nerve when it mattered most to hold off a spirited charge by fellow Thai professional Varanyu Rattanaphaibulkij and win the MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan Golf Club on Thursday.

Starting the final round tied for the lead with France’s Lionel Weber, Janewattananond closed with a level-par 72, forcing a sudden-death playoff which he won with a birdie on the first extra hole, becoming the first Thai player to win a MENA Tour event.

Janewattananond broke free early, making three birdies in four holes after opening with a bogey and was able to keep his nose ahead for much of the day, but two bogeys on the back nine prevented him from settling the issue in regulation play.

A good four shots off the pace overnight, Rattanaphaibulkij produced a bogey-free 68, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5, third, but his scintillating final-round charge fell agonisingly short. Judging by the way he played overall, it might just be history deferred.

“Very happy to win my first event on the MENA Tour. It was quite windy out there and there was a bit more pressure playing a two-ball, a bit like match-play,” said Janewattananond after receiving the winner’s trophy from Veeranat Limprasutr, head of business development and director of operations at MahaSamutr Country Club Hua Hin.

ALPS Tour Golf - Alps de las Castillas

Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez sealed maiden victory on Alps Tour defeating his fellow countryman young amateur Adria Arnaus after first extra hole.

The 28 year old player from Madrid only needed one extra hole to win Alps de Las Catillas trophy. This tournament shown a different face every day. The first round was in Dutch hands with Van Meijel leading, the second round was blue-white and red thanks to Jérôme Lando-Casanova but the ultimate round, the one that matters offered a 100% Spanish podium.

The overnight leader did not manage to keep same pace while Spaniards dug their advantage birdie after birdie. David Borda finished third thanks to final 68, -10. Adria Arnaus signed for the best score of the day tie, 65 to go to -13 total and Sebastian Garcia recorded 66 for same total as he holed birdie on the last regular hole.

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