PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Coming off the worst season of his career, Brandt Snedeker’s mission was to become relevant again. He was eligible for only one major and none of the World Golf Championships, and he hated the idea of the world’s best players competing without him.
That’s what made Sunday at Pebble Beach so sweet. The view walking up the 18th fairway was spectacular for so many reasons.
Additional Images
Snedeker polished off a week that was close to perfect on the Monterey Peninsula by closing with 5-under 67 for a three-shot victory over Nick Watney. With only one bogey all week – yes, that still gnaws at him – Snedeker broke his own scoring record in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
“It was an emotional win for me today because it’s been a long time coming,” Snedeker said. “The last year-and-a-half has not been up to my standard.”
Once he took the lead for good on the par-5 sixth hole after Watney’s worst swing of the week – a 4-iron into Stillwater Cove – Snedeker pulled away by leaving the mistakes to everyone else. He finished at 22-under 265, breaking by two shots the record he set two years ago at Pebble Beach, and by two shots the winning score under par held by Phil Mickelson (2007) and Mark O’Meara (1997).
It was the seventh win of his career, his second title in three years at Pebble Beach, and the timing could not have been better for Snedeker.
He’s back in the Masters.
The victory moved him to No. 31 in the world, which should put him in all the WGC events, starting with Doral in three weeks.
“It’s nice to be back in those tournaments,” Snedeker said. “I can set my schedule a little bit. And all the hard work I’ve done the last year is paying off now. I know this is a great week, but I look forward to parlaying this week into more weeks coming up and keep this momentum going.”
Snedeker decided last June to work with Butch Harmon to get a better understanding of his swing, and it took time for it all to sink in. Worse yet, he lost his putting touch toward the latter part of the summer. Now, he looks like the Snedeker of old, walking briskly up to putts, looking at the hole as he takes five short practice strokes and then gets over the ball and gives it a pop.
He didn’t have any three-putts all week, not an easy feat on poa annua greens with 156 players and their amateur partners.
Watney opened with four straight birdies, but three bogeys in a five-hole stretch at the turn cost him. He rallied with a pair of birdies for a 69 to secure second place alone. Charlie Beljan closed with a 66 and finished third.
Jim Furyk, the 54-hole leader, didn’t make his first birdie until the 11th hole. He missed three birdie putts inside 10 feet on the front nine, went out in 38, and was out of the hunt halfway through the final round. It was the ninth time Furyk failed to convert when he had at least a share of the 54-hole lead since his last victory at the 2010 Tour Championship.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Lee Janzen birdied his final hole to get into a playoff, then beat Bart Bryant to win the ACE Group Classic at TwinEagles Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
Janzen forced the playoff with an 8-foot putt on No. 18. He then watched Bryant put his approach into the water on the extra hole. Janzen put his second shot on the green and two-putted to win.
Bryant stormed into contention with a 10-under 62 on the final day, tying a course record. He and Janzen were both 16 under.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Australian Andre Dodt won his second title by beating countryman Scott Hend and local favorite Thongchai Jaidee by one shot in the Thailand Classic at Hua Hin.
With overnight leader Hend, who started the round with a one-stroke lead, and Thongchai struggling on the greens, Dodt produced a bogey-free 67 to seal the victory with a 16-under-par 272.
AUSTRALIAN LADIES MASTERS: South Korean-born Australian teenager Su Oh shot a 4-under 69 to win by three strokes at Royal Pines in only her second start as a professional. She finished with a 7-under total of 285.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.