Rookie wins Greenbrier Classic with playoff birdie
Rookie Scott Stallings birdied the 18th hole to get into a playoff at the Greenbrier Classic, then birdied 18 again to win on the first hole of sudden death.
Stallings defeated Bob Estes and Bill Haas on the first extra hole to earn $1.08 million when his 7-foot birdie putt curled into the center of the cup. It was the first career win for Stallings, a 26-year-old from Worcester, Mass
Stallings entered the last day on 9-under par, a shot behind leader Anthony Kim. A four-bogey front nine, however, appeared to derail Stallings’ chances even as Kim faltered. Making the turn, Stallings reeled off five birdies in a seven-hole stretch to tie the leaders before falling back with a bogey on the par-5 17th when his tee shot found a hazard.
Still just a shot back, Stallings stiffed a 9-iron on the 168-yard, par-3 closing hole at West Virginia’s Greenbrier Resort, then drained the putt to make the playoff.
A quintet of players tied fourth: Andres Romero, Brendon de Jonge, Cameron Tringale, Jimmy Walker and Gary Woodland. Kim could not follow Saturday’s 62, dropping to a tie for 14th with a 74. Considered one of the Tour’s most gifted young players, Kim has not won since April of 2010.
The Tour stops in Akron, Ohio, this week for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, where Tiger Woods will compete for the first time since withdrawing from the Players Championship in May. Woods says he’s sufficiently recovered from knee and Achilles injuries sustained during the Masters.
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