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There is the orthodox way, and then there is the orthodox. How about flowing a 40-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to get into a play-off … and then replicate the feat in sudden death? Russell Knox, a Scotsman with an eye for drama, has inflicted such a killer on New Zealander Ryan Fox to win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open on the Glashedy Links at the Ballyliffin Golf Club, a victory that also embellished his ambitions of Ryder Cup
If we had entered the last lap while waiting for a procession, with Erik Van Rooyen of South Africa amortized by a four-stroke lead, which materialized on the sand hills no. was not at all: the springbok stumbled. Fox moved stealthily to the top of the business. Knox's monster birdie on the latter gave him a 66 for 14 under 274, while Fox – who missed a 10-foot birdie on the closing hole – shot 68 to tie him up.
Then the real drama, and Knox – A caliber player who won the WGC-HSBC Champions (2015) and the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour in 2016 – returned to the 452 yards Par 4 18th, a hole that had destroyed many dashboards during the four days, again
And as he had done in regulation, it was by an unorthodox road, this time (the ball of his tee-shot flying over the bunker to finish on a downhill slope) playing his approach beyond the hole and roll into another 40-foot putt cheered by the 27,055 spectators who had managed to find views around the green.
While Van Rooyen 's express was winding down in his quest for a revolutionary victory, others were maneuvering in the frame. Jon Rahm, the defending champion, suffered from a triple bogey at his second hole, but fought back with a stellar golf – covering the remaining 16 holes in nine pennies, including a series of four successive birdies to close – to post a number (-12) in the clubhouse, while his compatriot Jorge Campillo then equaled the record of course 65 to place the target on 13-under.
Stretch at Home
It was to prove a case of what could have been for the Spaniards, however. Instead, it was Knox and Fox who remained on the course, the battle only won in additional holes. Knox sank his long, horny Fox Fox.
For Knox, who had previously lost his only two play-offs on the PGA Tour (in the Honda Clbadic 2014 and Graeme McDowell in the 2015 Mayakoba Clbadic), the win earned him a day of € 998,425 and the famous The Waterford Crystal trophy returns to the top 50 worldwide (from 87th place). Fox's consolation was a check for € 665,614 and a place in the Open Championship at Carnoustie. Zander Lombard and Andy Sullivan claimed the other two exemptions.
Knox – who had finished second at Rory McIlroy at the K Club in 2016 – said of his putting masterclbad: "That's why you play golf, to make a putt only on the last hole. Adrenaline has just come out, and it's the best feeling in the world to be honest. . . . it was obviously a putt that you will miss a lot more times than you do, and for me having done it twice in a row, I am very lucky. "
Once ranked as high as 18th in the world, but which had dropped at the end of May to 137th place, Knox experienced a resurgence of shape after finishing second in France last week and winning the competition. "I knew that from this year I had done good golf and I knew that something would happen eventually."
Video Collage
Finally, so late, the McIlroy's putter was behaving: he had taken 34, 32 and 30 putts in his turn through the first three rounds, but only needed the TaylorMade blade 27 times in the final lap. Night putting sessions in front of a mirror and , aptly, a video collage of former PGA Tour player, Brad Faxon, who landed in his box on Sunday morning, helped his putting.
some videos of my body language after all my putts missed this week so it was a good little reminder that the attitude is very important on the greens, and that seemed to help, "said McIlroy, who insisted that there were no technical problems with his putting method.
The Northern Irishman – in his last four years as a tournament host – finished in 28th place with a record of 71 for 286, and plans to play tennis at Wimbledon before prepare for the next Major. 19659002] Of improving his putting in the final round, he added: "I feel that I am on a good path with that, I do not want to change anything. put four days in Carnoustie as I did today, I would be happy. "
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