A lifetime dream came true Sunday for Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg.
The 29-year-old calmly holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Patrick Reed to win the BMW Masters.
The American and the Swede tied in regulation play at 17-under par. Both had putts in the 14-foot range to win it outright on the 72nd hole but each player came up short to force overtime.
Broberg, who closed with a 68, hit two perfect shots on the par four guarded by water and sand. He launched a huge drive in the left side of the fairway then hit a soft nine-iron that put him in striking distance.
“I saw him hit it right,” Broberg said of Reed’s tee shot in the playoff that found the right rough. “I wanted to hit it past the trap and give myself a good chance.” He ripped his drive into prime position and Reed took some of the pressure off him when his second fell short into the greenside bunker.
“That’s my dream come true,” said Broberg, who came off the Sunshine Tour, the European equivalent of the Web.com Tour. “I’ve worked so hard all my life for this.”
Broberg, who was previously ranked 149th in the world, will find himself just outside the top 60 when the new rankings come out this week.
Overnight leader Thongchai Jaidee could only managed a 71 and found the scoring conditions more difficult with the wind coming up throughout the day. He finished tied for second with Henrik Stenson, Lucas Bjerregaard and Byeong Hun An.
