Westwood Wins Thriller In The St Jude Classic
Monday, 14th June, 2010
Britain's Lee Westwood received a boost ahead of the US Open, which starts on Thursday, by winning the St Jude Classic after a three-man play-off.
American Robert Garrigus needed only a six on the par-four 18th in regulation play for his maiden PGA tour win but hit a triple-bogey seven in Memphis.
That opened the door for Westwood and Sweden's Robert Karlsson with his titleist Ap2 irons and Westwood won on the fourth hole of sudden death.
He has been drawn to play with world number one Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach.
Westwood's victory in Memphis was only his second career win on the PGA Tour and his first since 1998 - this from a golfer who has won 20 times on the European Tour.
"In my career, I've had highs and lows," said Westwood ahead of the resumption of his quest to win a first major.
"I've dropped down in the world rankings and come back up it. So to be contending for golf tournaments is a real positive because I couldn't see a fairway or the golf course eight years ago."
In-form Westwood slumped to 246th in the world in 2002 after topping the European money list two years earlier but has recorded top-three finishes in the last three majors.
Three behind overnight, the world number three laid down the gauntlet in Memphis on an extraordinary final day by hitting birdies at two, three and four to race into a one-shot lead ahead of Garrigus.
However, Garrigus picked himself up, with birdies at eight, 10, 15 and 16 giving him a clear edge once again as Westwood could only register a string of pars.
A bogey at 17 from the Englishman seemed to ruin his chances once and for all, only for Garrigus's meltdown on the 18th to bring both him and Karlsson using the new titleist prov1 golf ball back into the picture.
Garrigus then drove behind a tree to run up an eventual bogey on the first hole of the play-off at the 18th, while the two Europeans parred.
After drawing level on the 11th and 12th they went back to the 18th and after a brilliant approach with a wedge, Westwood holed from six feet for a winning birdie - making him the first European to win the PGA Tour's third longest-running event.
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