PGA Tour Colonial
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Steve Stricker robbed Tim Clark of his first PGA Tour victory in Texas on Sunday after a hearbreaking play-off at Colonial.
Trying to shed his title as the guy who’d won the most money on the PGA Tour without winning an event, Clark wasted a two-shot lead with five holes left.
He left short a 9-foot putt that would’ve won it on the final hole, then pulled a 7-footer that would’ve ended the playoff on the first hole. The final kick in the gut came when his approach on the second extra hole hit the pin and rolled more than 20 feet from the cup.
“I can’t take anything positive from today,” the 33-year-old South African said. “I have a lot of work to do when it comes to closing out golf tournaments.”
Stricker’s fifth career victory was pure relief. “I feel fortunate,” he said. “I’ve been on the other end a couple times this year where you feel going to win and end up losing. This feels very good.”
Stricker, who earned $1,116,000, led after two rounds with a 36-hole tournament record of 126. He moved back ahead with birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 on Sunday, then followed with consecutive bogeys.
When he missed a 4-footer on 16, Stricker seemed out of contention. His chances looked even worse when he was in fluffy grass behind the 17th green. Then his chip rolled in. “You need breaks to win, that’s why winning is so special, so hard to do,” he said.