PHOENIX (AP) - Jeff Maggert holed out from 123 yards for eagle on the third playoff hole Sunday to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and hand Scott McCarron the season points title on the PGA Tour Champions.
Two holes earlier, Retief Goosen missed a 4-foot birdie putt that would have given him the tournament and the Charles Schwab Cup.
Instead, the South African could only watch from the fairway as Maggert’s shot on the par-4 17th landed in front of the pin, bounced once and dropped for a stunning conclusion to the season. Maggert threw both hands up in the air to celebrate.
“I’ve seen it happen. I never, ever thought it would happen to me,” Maggert said about his game-winner.
No one was happier than McCarron, who has led the Charles Schwab Cup since April but did not contend in any of the three postseason events. McCarron tied for 27th in the final event at Phoenix Country Club, opening the door for others to claim the $1 million bonus.
Bernhard Langer got in the mix for another title with a hole-in-one on the eighth hole, only for his putter to go cold. Goosen, No. 5 in the standings, was poised to capture the cup when he birdied three of his last four holes for a 7-under 64 to finish at 21-under 263.
Maggert, who started the final round with a one-shot lead, pulled his drive into the trees on the par-5 18th and had to lay up. He hit wedge to 8 feet and made the birdie putt for a 66 to force the playoff.
EUROPEAN TOUR
ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) - Tyrrell Hatton of England won the Turkish Airlines Open after a record-tying six-man playoff that ended on the fourth extra hole under the floodlights.
Hatton outlasted Matthias Schwab with a par on the fourth extra hole when the Austrian missed a short putt.
Hatton, who won his fourth career title, closed with a 5-under 67 and joined the playoff with Schwab (70), Kurt Kitayama (64), Victor Perez (65), Benjamin Hebert (67) and Erik Van Rooyen (65).
They finished at 20-under 268.
Van Rooyen was the first eliminated with a bogey on the par-5 18th hole. Hatton was in trouble until chipping for birdie, matched by Kitayama in the first threesome. In the next group, Schwab was the only player to make birdie. Kitayama was eliminated on the third extra hole.
Two-time defending champion Justin Rose shot 68 and tied for 21st.
LPGA TOUR
SHIGA, Japan (AP) - Ai Suzuki closed with a 5-under 67 for a three-shot victory in the Toto Japan Classic, her first LPGA Tour title.
Suzuki played bogey-free in the final round and finished with a birdie on the par-5 closing hole at Seta Golf Course to finish at 17-under 199 and win by three over Hyo Joo Kim (66).
Suzuki is the second straight Japanese winner following Nasa Hataoka. With the win, Suzuki, a regular on the Japan LPGA, becomes eligible for LPGA Tour membership.
“It was my dream, so I feel like I want to challenge,” Suzuki said. “But I can’t speak English so I need to talk to my family because I need their support.”
Minjee Lee finished in third place at 11-under 205 after shooting a 68 in the final event of the LPGA Tour’s Asia Swing.
OTHER TOURS
John Catlin closed with a 67 and won the Thailand Open in a playoff over Shiv Kapur and Pavit Tangkamolprasert. The American now has four career victories on the Asian Tour. … Hosung Choi closed with a 4-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Shugo Imahira in the Heiwa PGM Championship on the Japan Golf Tour. … Francesco Laporta won the Road to Mallorca by closing with an even-par for a two-shot victory in the Challenge Tour Grand Final on the European Challenge Tour. … Puma Dominguez shot 5-under 67 and won Argentina Classic with a par on the second playoff hole to beat Tom Whitney on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. … Song Yi Ahn closed with a 1-under 71 for a one-shot victory over Gayoung Lee in the ADT CAPS Championship on the Korean LPGA.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.