It was a wild, crazy final round at the Sony Open Sunday but in the end, it was the man who shot 62 who walked away with the title.
Argentinian Fabian Gomez converted a seven-hole birdie run into a come-from-behind playoff victory over Brandt Snedeker that earned the 37-year-old his second PGA Tour win and most likely a spot on his country’s Olympic team later in the summer.
Tears flowed from his eyes after a two-putt birdie on the second playoff hole at Waialae Country Club ended it. Snedeker had a downhill seven-footer to extend the playoff but saw it miss right.
“I never felt comfortable with the speed of the greens all week,” Snedeker lamented. “Not disappointed, I played well.”
For Gomez, his eight-under round was spurred by a birdie run that started at the sixth hole and continued to the 11th. That run got him to 20-under par. He gave two shots back with bogeys at the 13th and 14th but bounced back with closing birdies at the 17th and 18th. His birdie at 18 in regulation came when he made an incredible 22-foot putt from a foot off the green.
Snedeker overcame a lousy start to his round. He was one-over through eight holes but picked it up starting at the ninth and added birdies at 10 and 14 then birdied the final three holes to get into the playoff.
Second-year pro Zac Blair was in the thick of it all day. He was tied for the lead with three holes to play and had a 12-foot eagle putt at the 18th to join the playoff but saw it slide by the hole. He finished by himself in third.
Si Woo Kim, who is only 20-years-old closed with a 68 and that was good enough for solo fourth, his best showing of the new season.
Kevin Kisner started the day a shot out of the lead but a pair of double-bogeys put and end to his hopes and he finished at 15-under and tied for fifth.
