Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin (-28) have opened their account on the PGA Tour after winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The North Carolina neighbours, aged 30 and 28 respectively, have managed to break through the victory barrier by playing together. Gone are the two second places each had accumulated until now on the American circuit. The last of these, just a week ago at the RBC Heritage, when Novak lost in a playoff to Justin Thomas. The revenge did not take long to arrive.
Obviously, the contribution of both was similar to achieve this victory, but the image that will forever accompany this Zurich will be what happened on the 17th hole. Novak’s heart nearly stopped when he saw his ball veer left off the tee more than he intended. It was really close to going into the water. It finally held on the fringe, Novak sighed (literally) and immediately Ben Griffin holed a seemingly impossible putt, with a double break and a very pronounced slope in between. It was the putt of victory.
The sensational birdie on the 17th allowed them to head to the final hole, a par 5, with a two-shot lead. A par was enough, and they ensured it without excessive suffering. Griffin hit a good drive, Novak executed a great second shot to position, third shot to the green, and two putts to make a dream come true. Not only do they win for the first time on the PGA Tour, but they also secure their presence on the circuit for two more years, as well as guaranteeing entry into the rest of the year’s designated tournaments.
Griffin and Novak take a big win that the Hojgaard brothers came very close to achieving. Nicolai and Rasmus finished in second place alone with a final round foursome score of 68. They completed a great week, caught the attention of Luke Donald, and only lacked sealing it with a victory. They leave with two excellent rounds of 59 and 64 in fourball and two equally strong rounds of 70 and 68 in foursome. The Ryder Cup is a very different story, but the Danish twins have shown they are a more than reliable pair with Bethpage in mind.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry ran out of steam when they were in full attack mode. They got right into the fight for victory, but three bogeys between holes 13 and 17 left them without options and out of the top 10. The major hiccup occurred on the 13th, when they took four shots from 25 metres to the flag. McIlroy was not sharp with his second shots when they needed it most.
