LOS CABOS, Mexico — Erik van Rooyen made a 16-foot eagle putt on the par-5 closing gap Sunday to win the World Broad Know-how Championship, a day after Matt Kuchar squandered a six-stroke lead with a late meltdown.
Enjoying alongside Kuchar at Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante on the tip of Baja California, van Rooyen performed the again 9 in 8-under 28 in a 9-under 63. He completed at 27-under 261, two strokes forward of Kuchar and Camilo Villegas.
“Fairly numb after that putt went in on 18,” van Rooyen mentioned. “You think about your self stuffed with euphoria and simply being ecstatic and I used to be simply numb. I feel it is due to all the pieces the previous six days with my buddy Jon [Trasamar] being so sick. I assume simply the second simply hasn’t hit me but.”
Kuchar and Villegas every shot 66, with the 45-year-old Kuchar parring the ultimate 4 holes. Tied for the lead on 18, Kuchar — after van Rooyen and Villegas hit fairway-wood second pictures close to one another on the inexperienced — hit his method left of the inexperienced and chipped 20 ft previous the outlet.
“I am fairly bummed,” Kuchar mentioned. “You come out with an ideal likelihood to win a golf match — and the objective is to win a golf match. However I maintain my head held excessive. Erik performed unimaginable golf.”
On Saturday, Kuchar was six strokes forward at 24 below when he pulled his drive on 15 left into dense bushes and made a quadruple-bogey 8. He then bogeyed the par-3 sixteenth, and ended up tied for the lead with Villegas.
“I feel I performed 71 actually good holes,” Kuchar mentioned. “It form of seems to be the distinction, you might want to play 72 good holes out right here. I had one soar up and get me.”
Van Rooyen opened play Sunday with a bogey on the par-5 first and made birdies on Nos. 2 and 6.
“Making a 6 on one left a bitter style in my mouth,” mentioned van Rooyen, who received the 2021 Barracuda Championship below the modified Stableford scoring system. “Then you definitely drain a 35-, 40-footer on two and it is like, `OK, it is all proper. It is a foolish recreation, so simply hold taking part in.'”
In his back-nine cost, he birdied Nos. 10-12, 14, 16 and 17 and closed with the eagle.
“Issues simply turned on the again 9,” van Rooyen mentioned. “Nice birdie on 10, virtually holed it on 11, stunning 13-, 14-footer on 12, left-right breaker within the coronary heart and also you’re off and operating. Simply hung in there and made some superior putts on 16, 17 and 18.”
Justin Suh was fourth at 24 below after a 65. Andrew Putnam (62) and Ryan Palmer (64) had been 22 below.
