LA QUINTA, Calif. — Sepp Straka beat Justin Thomas by two strokes to win the American Express on Sunday, shooting a final-round 70 to finish low. He finished with a score of 263 at par 25 to complete his third career PGA Tour victory.
Straka, the first Austrian to win on Tour three years ago, cruised to victory after taking a four-shot lead going into the final round at the Coachella Valley Championship. He went bogey-free in the four-day tournament until two bogeys in the final three holes, but his rivals were unable to attack, making the match uncomfortable.
Straka, 31, looked calm on the Stadium Course at PGA West, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
“Nerves, totally nerves,” Straka said. “My stomach was in knots, the whole nine. So, yeah, I'm really excited about the way I handled the pressure today.”
Thomas shot a 66 to finish at 23 under, finishing third ahead of Justin Lower (69) and Australian Jason Day (69). Lore achieved the best score of his Tour career.
Patrick Cantlay and Charley Hoffman were at 20 under.
Straka hit the greens regularly and putted well and was just three holes away from becoming the first Tour player to win with 72 bogey-free holes since 2022 until he converted on No. 16. The second shot hit the far right rough area behind the berm. His third shot missed the green and he narrowly missed a 17-foot par putt.
Straka's first big mistake didn't matter, and neither did his next: He hit his approach ball into the bunker on No. 18 and missed his 23-foot par putt, but He buried the 4-foot bogey putt and celebrated with the smallest fist pump.
“This golf course, you really can't relax,” Straka said. “You still have to make a really aggressive swing because you're one shot away from a double bogey. I think the biggest challenge today was staying aggressive with my target.”
Thomas, who tied for third at the American Express last year, birdied six of his first 11 holes in the final round to briefly cut Straka's lead to three shots. The two-time PGA Championship champion ran out of steam on the back nine and ended the round with seven consecutive pars in search of his first Tour victory since 2022.
“I have a chance,” Thomas said. “Obviously, the back nine wasn't a great tournament, but I'm proud of myself. I did what I needed to do on the front nine today to at least make some noise and move up the leaderboard. Unfortunately , and stopped there after eleven o'clock.
Day, another former PGA Championship winner, has just one win since 2018. range. Shoot 69 during the day.
Hoffman, who was also in the final group, joined Thomas and Day three shots behind before sinking two tee shots into the water on the par-3 13th and finishing with a triple bogey.
Straka entered the final round with a lead Sunday for the first time in his career. He played with confidence from the start, sinking a 12-foot birdie putt on the first hole. He hit his tee shot inside 13 feet for another birdie on the fourth hole and added another with a superb approach shot on the seventh hole.
Straka also made par after hitting his ball into the rough on No. 5, and again after hitting his tee shot into a right bunker on No. 8.
Thomas started his round with back-to-back birdies, adding another on the fifth hole and then started his run with three birdies in four holes around the turn. , nearly missed a 34-foot eagle putt on the eighth hole and then buried 16.
But Straka birdied No. 13, driving inside 8 feet to extend his lead to four shots.
Defending champion Nick Dunlap shot a 68 in the event and tied for 34th, becoming the first amateur to win on tour in 33 years.
Sony Open champion Nick Taylor continued his strong start to the season with a 67 to finish in a six-way tie for 12th.
Source link
