Tom Hoge had his work cut out for him on a sunny Sunday at Pebble Beach. Yes, he was a 54-hole co-leader but when you’re trying to pick up your first PGA Tour victory, it doesn’t help to have Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth hot on your heels.
Nothing seemingly bothered Hoge over the final 18 holes at historic Pebble. He found himself trailing five players at the turn, including Spieth and Cantlay, the two biggest names in the field with the most impressive credentials at this AT&T Pro-Am.
What made matters worse for Hoge was the fact he played the front nine in even par and that’s the side where you have to make birdies — things get tough on holes 10 through 14. But it was Hoge’s ability to score on that back nine that paved the way for his win.
Spieth seemingly took control of the tournament with back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13 that got him to 18-under par. He had the par five 14th, the short 15th and 16th ahead to stretch the lead. But Spieth ran into troubles, he failed to find the birdies he needed and took himself out of contention when his tee shot at the 17th fell short, in the front bunker. He blasted to four feet then inexplicably missed the par save. That bogey dropped him back to 17-under and behind him, Hoge was pouring it on.
After a birdie at 11, Hoge added another at the par five 14th to go 17-under. At 16, Hoge hit a sensational approach that stopped just inches short of an eagle two leaving him a kick-in birdie. He picked up two shots on Spieth at 17 where he made birdie to go 19-under. That afforded him the luxury of playing 18 as a three-shot hole. He did, made par, shot 68, and waited to see if long-shot Beau Hossler could make a miracle eagle at the 18th. There would be no eagle for Hossler and he finished with a costly bogey that dropped him out of a tie for second into solo third. The win was Hoge’s at 19-under.
Every FedEx point, every dollar is big for Hossler, who has struggled to keep his card over the past couple of seasons.
Give Hossler credit for the day’s best comeback. He suffered a double-bogey at the par three fifth. He was three-over for the day but fought back — all the way back to 17-under. His careless bogey at 18 put him back at 16-under, a shot better than Troy Merritt and Cantlay. Merritt had the most impressive start of any of the contenders. He was five-under through his first six holes and made the turn in 31. But his hot start led to a cold finish. A double-bogey at the 17th was very costly but he still had the best round among the top five finishers — a five-under par 67.
Meanwhile, Hoge was soaking in the sun, enjoying the fruits of his win, including a first trip to Augusta for the Masters.
“Feels pretty good he said as he stood by the Waterford trophy. “Almost a little bit of a shock. I used to get in contention and feel uncomfortable,” said Hoge, who played in the final pairing last year. “Today I felt great the whole day.”
Bryson DeChambeau Gives Update On Wrist Injury:
After withdrawing from The Farmers, Bryson DeChambeau still headed to Saudi Arabia to collect that fat, seven-figure appearance fee.
His appearance didn’t last long — just one round and he withdrew with that bum wrist of his still an issue.
DeChambeau gave an update on social media over the weekend:
“Everyone needs to chill,” DeChambeau posted on his Instagram Saturday. “Yes, I hurt myself but not from hitting it far. I slipped and fell this week on Tuesday unfortunately. I know people probably [won’t] believe me, but that is the truth. I will be back stronger and better than ever in a few weeks. Thank you for your concerns and keep hitting bombs!! I will be back.”
Slipped and fell? What, is Bryson suddenly joining the senior citizen ranks?
Regardless, he’s scheduled to appear next at the Genesis in two weeks.
