Sunday, Jul 4, 2021. 7:43 PM
DETROIT – Cam Davis stalled a 50-foot approach from the sand trap on the 17th hole, which allowed him to force overtime and ultimately defeat Troy Merritt on the extra fifth hole to win the Classic Rocket Mortgage on Sunday .
“That’s the only reason I’m sitting here,” Davis said during his press conference, alongside his trophy. Honestly, I never even thought of trying to send the ball straight into the cup. “
Davis clinched his first career PGA Tour title when Merritt missed a putt from six feet for a par.
Davis himself missed a putt for the win in each of the overtime holes. He missed six, 18, 25, 19 and 12 foot putts, in sequence, before Merritt gave him the win with a buggy.
“I tried not to think of anything other than what I was playing, for what it’s worth,” Davis said. It’s easy to say now, but it’s not that easy to do when there’s so much pressure. “
After his eagle on the 17th, Davis scored a birdie on the 18th pennant.
The 26-year-old Australian closed the final round with a 67 (under-5) card, joining Merritt (68) and Joaquin Niemann (68) at the top with a cumulative score of under-18 on the golf course. Detroit.
Merritt was looking for a third victory on the PGA Tour and a first since 2018.
“The last two months have been positive for me, with four top-10 tournaments and a good result this week. I hope that victory will come, but I’m knocking on the door. “
Niemann was knocked out of overtime when he bugged the first hole. It was his first bug of the week. The Chilean had the opportunity to win on his last hole of the fourth round, but he missed a putt from a distance of 17 feet.
“I should have won this tournament, but that’s what it is,” said Niemann, adding that he will now focus on the British Open and the Olympics.
Niemann shared the lead of this tournament at the end of the second and third rounds. He finished just short of a win for the third time, after losing in overtime at the Tournament of Champions.
Last week at the Travelers Championship, Harris English beat Kramer Hickok on the eighth hole in overtime, the second longest overtime in sudden death in PGA history. Hickok also stayed close to the field to watch overtime in Detroit.
Alex Noren (64) shared the tournament high when he concluded his round with a cumulative score of under-17. He left the chalet when a golfer beat him to the first rung. Noren settled for a tie for fourth with Hank Lebioda (68).
Bubba Watson rose through the ranks after signing a 64 card. He took sixth place with Brandon Hagy (68), under-16.
In a round of 68, Mackenzie Hughes was the tournament’s top Canadian. He ended the event tied for 14th, minus-13.
His compatriots Roger Sloan (21st), Michael Gligic (41st) and Nick Taylor (52nd) also participated in the weekend rounds.
Final classification (par 72):
1. Cameron Davis (AUS) -18 (68-68-67-67) -2 and prolongation
. Troy Merritt (É-U) -18 (67-68-67-68)
. Joaquin Niemann (CHI) -18 (65-69-68-68)
4. Alex Noren (SUE) -17 (70-70-67-64)
. Hank Lebioda (É-U) -17 (67-70-66-68)
6. Bubba Watson (USA) -16 (68-73-67-64)
. Brandon Hagy (É-U) -16 (65-71-68-68)
8. Mark Anderson (É-U) -15 (70-70-67-66)
. Seamus Power (IRL) -15 (66-71-69-67)
. Im Sung-jae (KOR) -15 (69-68-69-67)
. Kevin Kisner (É-U) – 15 (67-69-69-68)
