AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Final Day Adds 4 Under Par for 2-Stroke Victory, 'PO Champ' Cantlay Ties for 4th
Tom Hoge is attempting his second shot on the 18th hole on the final day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Pebble Beach, USA = Getty Images / MultiBits
[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘202 attempts, 203rd success’.
World No. 68 Tom Hoge finally secured his first victory on the PGA Tour. On the 7th (Korean time), at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (total prize money $8.7 million) held at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California (par 72, 6,972 yards), Hoge shot 4-under par on the final day to win by 2 strokes with a total score of 19-under 268. The winner’s prize money was $1,566,000 (18.77 billion KRW). ‘Texas boy’ Jordan Spieth finished in second place at 17-under 270.
Hoge started tied for the lead and recorded 7 birdies, 1 bogey, and 1 double bogey. He opened the scoring early with a birdie on the 4th hole (par 4), but his tee shot landed in a greenside bunker on the 5th hole (par 3), resulting in a double bogey. However, he regained momentum with consecutive birdies on the 6th and 7th holes. A bogey on the 8th hole (par 4) was recovered with a birdie on the 11th hole (par 4), and he finished strong with birdies on the 14th hole (par 5) and back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. The decisive birdie came on the 17th hole (par 3) with a 6.5-meter putt.
Jordan Spieth is teeing off on the final day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Pebble Beach, USA = Getty Images / Multivitz
This came at a critical moment when Spieth, tied for the lead at 18-under, missed a 1.5-meter par putt and dropped to second place. The 17th hole was the turning point for Hoge. After moving to a 2-stroke lead, he safely secured the fairway with a hybrid tee shot on the final 18th hole (par 5), which was notable. He made par with a ‘3-on 2-putt’ to protect the winner’s trophy. His round scores were 9-under at Pebble Beach Links on the first day, 2-under at Monterey Peninsula (par 71, 6,957 yards) on the second day, and 4-under at Spyglass Hill (par 72, 7,041 yards) on the third day.
The tournament was conducted by rotating through three courses with amateur golfers including world-class sports stars and Hollywood actors, before the final day showdown again at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Hoge joined the PGA Tour in the 2014/2015 season and had long been without a win, causing frustration. He showed promise by finishing second at the American Express, which ended on the 23rd of last month, and this time he reached the top after a staggering 9 years and 203 events. His ‘Playoff (PO)’ ranking also soared to second place (1,064.85 points) in one leap.
Bo Ho-sler finished third (16-under 271), while ‘Playoff (PO) champion’ Patrick Cantlay (both from the USA) stopped his pursuit of the first win of the 2022 season tied for fourth place (15-under 272). It was especially disappointing given that Cantlay shot 10-under at Pebble Beach Golf Links on the first day last year. Jason Day (Australia) tied for 24th place (9-under 278), and Korea’s Kang Sung-hoon (35) and Noh Seung-yul (32) both finished tied for 41st place (6-under 281).
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