Los Angeles: JB Holmes erased a four-shot deficit to emerge from an endurance test at Riviera Country Club on Sunday with a one-stroke victory over Justin Thomas in the Genesis Open.
On a day that saw the leaders play 33-plus holes in the weather-disrupted event, Holmes fired a one-under par 70 in the final round for a 14-under total of 270 and his fifth US PGA Tour title — his first since the 2015 Houston Open.
The 13th hole was the turning point, Holmes going ahead for good with a 12-foot par putt while Thomas needed four putts to close out a double-bogey.
Holmes was still one ahead when he drained an 11-footer at 16, part of his march home with seven straight pars.
Thomas had a long birdie look at 18, but couldn’t get the 20-footer to drop and signed for a four-over 75 for 271.
South Korean Kim Si-woo closed with a five-under par 66 for third place on 272, one stroke in front of Australian Marc Leishman (68) and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (69).
Tournament host Tiger Woods, who made the cut with one shot to spare, vaulted into the top 15 with a third-round 65 that included two eagles — one on Saturday night and one on Sunday.
He was rolling with three birdies in his first seven holes of the final round — including holing out from a bunker at the par-three 16th — before fading down the stretch as the changeable weather brought a brief burst of rain and then cold, gusty winds.
“I got tired. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I definitely felt it today — wind, cold,” admitted Woods, who had four bogeys in a six-hole stretch that ended with a three-putt at the fifth — where he missed from inside three feet.
He closed with a one-over 72 that left him on six-under 278 and said he was looking forward to nothing more than a day off before he thinks about preparing for next week’s WGC-Mexico Championship.
“Those clubs aren’t coming out of the travel case tomorrow’s an off day,” Woods said after failing once again to get to grips with Riviera, a course he played as a youngster but where he has never lifted the trophy in 12 attempts.
Woods said he drove the ball better than he did in his 2019 opener at Torrey Pines two weeks ago, but his struggles on the greens — including four three-putts in the first round, six altogether — were too much to overcome.
“It was one of the worst weeks I’ve ever had on the greens,” he said. “Six three-putts, I don’t think I’ve ever done that. I just have to clean up my mess on the greens and be ready for Thursday.”
— AFP
