Will Finds A Way — Zalatoris Wins St. Jude With Clutch Putting!

Will finally found a way.

Yes, Will Zalatoris picked a great time to come through in the clutch late Sunday afternoon at TPC Southwinds, his putter finally became his best friend and perhaps St. Jude was looking over Will’s shoulder as he survived and won perhaps the season’s  craziest playoffs.

The St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwinds came down to Zalatoris and Honda Classic winner Sepp Straka duking it out, mano-a-mano in a playoff that went three holes and it was on that third playoff hole where an already crazy afternoon reached a new level of crazy.

After Zalatoris and Straka tied in regulation at 15-under par (66 for Will, 67 for Sepp) in this first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, it was anyone’s tournament to win or lose and both took turns trying to lose it.

First things first, Zalatoris had to hole a nervous 10-footer to save par on the 72nd hole and keep himself at 15-under.  The putter that has let him down so often in the past, was magical at that key moment.  Straka followed with a par of his own to finish tied with Zalatoris.

The two traded pars on the first return to 18 and it was the second were BOTH got extremely lucky.

Zalatoris’ tee shot went right, hit a cart path and was headed OB but it caught a friendly tree and it stayed safe.  Thank-you St. Jude.  Straka’s 3-wood was headed for the water left, it hit the bank and should have bounced left into the water — instead, it veered a bit right and caught the heavy stuff.  Both were in trouble.

Zalatoris pitched out to 92 yards then after taking a shoe off, Straka decided against the hero shot from a ridiculous lie, took a penalty drop then from 152 out, stuck his third to five feet.  Thank-you St. Jude.  Zalatoris got his to 11-feet, a distance that would have spelled doom for him earlier in the season.  But he dropped his par saving putt in the cup, Straka followed and it was on to the short, par three 11th — all 151 yards of it, with water lurking right of the green and the pin tucked oh so close to the wet stuff.

It was then that Zalatoris tried to give it away.  He hit a wedge that looked short, it was, caught some grass, then the stones on top of the wall and somehow it bounced what seemed like a half-dozen times on top of the stone wall before it settled up against the grass, below the level of the wall’s top stones.  Pretty much unplayable.  Easy scenario for Straka — hit 9-iron into the middle of the green and two-putt for victory.

In a moment of shock, Straka went at the flatstick and he found the water.  A trip back to the drop area and from just outside 90 yards, he blew his third into the back bunker.

After too much contemplation, Zalatoris made the smart move.  His shot was not playable — the yellow line on the hazard dictated he go back to the drop area.  From 92 yards, Will stuck his just inside seven feet.  Straka’s bunker shot didn’t go in and all Will needed to do was hole another clutch putt — this one to win — and YESSSSSSSS — a win for the young talent whose flat-stick had denied him so many times.

It took 56 events for Zalatoris to get it done but this one paid him a whopping $2.7 million and put him atop the FedEx points list, ahead of Scottie Scheffler — Will got a wind-fall 2,000 points for the victory.

He wept as his fiancee gave him a big victory hug.  “It was a grind,” Zalatoris said of the final 18.  “Didn’t have my best stuff on Thursday (first round).”  And he immediately recalled the final playoff hole.  “To see that decision pay off is sweet,” he said of his return to the drop area. “Looking forward to have some celebrations tonight!”

But it was Straka, who put what transpired on that Memphis afternoon in proper context:

“Pretty crazy.”

More like beyond crazy.

Fate finally smiled on Will Zalatoris — or perhaps, it was St. Jude looking over his shoulder.

After all, St. Jude is the patron of hopeless causes — and that’s what Zalatoris’ putting stroke USED to be.

He’s turned it around and found what works.

And it worked to the max, under the pressure in Memphis.

St. Jude Championship Scoreboard:

Breaking News:  Cam Smith has withdrawn from this week’s BMW Championship, his agent cited that Cam was experiencing “hip discomfort” — at this point, Smith, who is third in the FedEx points list, is still planning to show up at the Tour Championship next week.