Around The World
Bouncing back quickly from a career-worst 2014, Brandt Snedeker won for the seventh time on the PGA Tour and the second time in three years at this event, cruising home to a three-shot victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Recovering from a season in which he went winless and slipped to 60th in PGA Tour earnings, Snedeker was around the top of the board all week, carding an opening round 64 at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, then adding 67s at both Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach to finish 54 holes at 198, one shot behind behind Jim Furyk. On a Sunday whose sunny and warm conditions highlighted one of the finest weather weeks in event history, Snedeker continued to post birdies as Furyk struggled, the latter turning in 38 before ultimately posting a disappointing 74. Snedeker, meanwhile, wasted little time in charging, logging three birdies in his first seven holes, then adding two more at the 11th and 15th, before marching smoothly and uneventfully home. Second place went to Nick Watney, who himself had charged into contention by birdieing his first four holes on Sunday, but bogeyes at the 5th and 6th kicked off a roller coaster ride that eventually saw him home in 69, to finish three back. ............Emerging from several years of disappointing play, 29-year-old Australian Andrew Dodt rode a final round 67 to his second career European Tour victory at the inaugural True Thailand Classic. Making only his second E Tour start since regaining his status for 2015 via November's Q School, Dodt was only an afterthought in the early going, trailing first-round leader Michael Hoey by seven after carding a Thursday 71, then sitting five behind the ageless Miguel Angel Jimenez following a Friday 67. Standing only one under par through 12 holes on Saturday, Dodt seemed on the edge of extinction, but a rush of four birdies over his final six holes brought him home in 67 - and still four behind fellow Aussie Scott Hend. Three straight birdies to open his round moved Dodt quickly into the picture on Sunday, but he still trailed Hend by two and homestanding Thongchai Jaidee by one at the turn. Dodt then played methodical golf on the final nine, adding birdies at the 12th and 15th to card a 67, and a 272 aggregate. The long-hitting Hend, meanwhile, bogeyed the 14th and 17th to fall two behind, then could do no better than a birdie at the 530-yard 18th to finish 273. Jaidee, for his part, birdied the 12th, 14th and 15th - but, unfortunately, also double-bogeyed the par-5 13th. Even so, he still had a chance, but a bogey at the 405-yard 16th saw him finish on 273 as well............Thirty-three-year-old Aaron Townsend claimed his maiden Australasian Tour win in style at the Victorian PGA Championship, stealing the title from veteran Scott Strange by holing out from a greenside bunker at the 72nd to win by one. Following rounds of 67-73-69, Townsend stood four shots behind 54-hole leader Ryan Fox of New Zealand, but he saved his finest golf for Friday’s final round over the venerable Huntingdale Golf Club layout. Opening with five birdies on the outward nine, he added one more at the par-5 10th and now found himself very much in contention. Fox, by this time, had staggered to the turn in 40, and while he would gamely come home in 33, a closing 73 left him three off the lead and tied for fifth. Thus Townsend’s strongest challenge came from Strange, who began the day tied with him on 209 before trailing by two after turning in 33. An eagle at the 10th lifted his chances, and when Townsend bogeyed the par-4 16th, the two stood even. But after bunkering his approach at the last, Townsend promptly holed his blast and with a closing 66, the trophy was his.