Although he tried until the last moment, it could not be for Ángel Hidalgo (-17) in Kentucky. The golfer from Marbella started this Sunday with a small chance to fight for the victory in the ISCO Championship, a tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour that has been held in Nicholaville. He needed to recover five strokes of disadvantage compared to the leader in 18 holes. However, his production of birdies was not enough and was also limited by three bogeys that prevented him from having sealed at least a top 10 that he caressed almost all week.
He had started this event very strong, with cards of 65 and 66 strokes the first two days of competition, placing himself in the high area of the classification. But yesterday, on ‘moving day’, he got stuck in the most unexpected place, the par fives. He took good note because today he has squeezed the four five-stroke holes of the Keene Trace Golf Club making birdie to all, in addition to the par four of the 18. But his mistakes in the 6, the 14 and the 16, due to three inaccuracies from the tee, forced him to settle for a round of 70 strokes, two under par, for a tied 16th place.
Winning is hard.
Rico Hoey's approach shot on the 72nd hole finds the penalty area.
He makes bogey on 18 and is now in a 4-way tie for the lead @ISCOChamp. pic.twitter.com/Jr3OBrPRQW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 14, 2024
A more than notable result, in any case, with which he improves by almost 15 positions the place he had signed a year ago in this same event and rescues a good booty of points from the Race to Dubai (only two of the 50 players from the DP World Tour of the tournament finished ahead of him). And although the field will have little or nothing to do with what he will find next week at Royal Troon during the Open Championship, Hidalgo will take the good feelings from the beginning of the tournament and the experience of having fought these days for something important in the U.S. for the fourth and last major of the season.
Above, the tournament was resolved in a tie between five players who had never faced a playoff on the tour and who also did not have victories on the PGA Tour. All, thanks to a mistake on the last hole by Filipino Rico Hoey (-22), who arrived at the 18 with a one-stroke lead, but risked too much approaching, ended up with his ball among some rocks, forced to drop, and ended up committing a bogey that opened the door to Matt NeSmith (-22), Zac Blair (-22), Harry Hall (-22) and Pierceson Coody (-22).
3 birdie putts.
3 pars.Harry Hall, Matt NeSmith and Pierceson Coody will head to a third playoff hole. pic.twitter.com/UXUsaedXFj
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 15, 2024
Blair, the most experienced of the quintet with almost 200 tournaments under his belt on the PGA Tour, was the first to be eliminated. Playing the 18, he sent his ball to the left rough from the tee, his second shot also went to the high grass next to the green, his recovery fell short and he missed the putt for par. Something similar to what happened to Hoey, who after a good start, the best of the five, failed with the irons and went from having the tournament practically won to being out in the blink of an eye. His disappointment was huge, his face said it all.
Nesmith, with a sensational recovery from the street bunker, had in his hands the first ‘match ball’, a putt of just over two meters that he missed on the right. And also by very little on the right, putting this time from the opposite side of the green, he also missed a birdie option on the second hole of the playoff. also playing the 18, against Coody and Hall, which took the three to play the par three of the 9 in search of a winner for the tournament.
One of the shots of the year! 😱
@HarryHall just chipped in for his first career PGA TOUR win @ISCOChamp! pic.twitter.com/B8PpxmYGbh— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 15, 2024
This time, Nesmith was not precise from the tee and his ball went long, to the rough. To the same place practically that the ball of Coody. And although the English Hall did not take advantage of the opportunity at first and also ended up off the green, on the right and further from the flag, he knew how to find a way to turn his life around 180 degrees. He brought out all his magic to execute a spectacular chip that rolled firmly to end up inside the cup, giving him his first victory on the PGA Tour.
Harry guarantees his card until 2026 and his access to the most important tournaments of the next season just a few days before his wife gives birth. That’s what it’s like to arrive with a loaf of bread under your arm… “I had to keep playing almost every week to try to keep the card, but now it won’t be necessary. The greens had dried up, but my caddy has helped me a lot to read them and in the approach shots, I’m very happy,” he said after a victory that will also bring him a check for 720,000 dollars.
