Golf Betting
If Ben Crane keeps this up, he’ll be better known for his play than his comical YouTube videos.
Ben Crane
Trailing by seven shots with 11 holes to play, Crane erased the deficit with eight birdies before beating Webb Simpson in sudden death to claim the McGladrey Classic. What’s more, Crane did it on the eve of the birth of his third child, scheduled for C-section delivery Monday morning.
Oh, and Crane nearly withdrew from the event due to a sore hip. “What the heck am I doing here?” he asked at the final round’s completion.
He wasn’t the only one shocked by the performance. Crane entered the McGladrey trailing a string of so-so finishes, with just four top-10s in 22 previous starts. Sunday didn’t figure to be much different; Crane began five shots off the pace of Michael Thompson, who was 13-under par through three rounds over the storied Sea Island (Ga.) Seaside Course.
A seven-par stretch to start his day offered Crane little hope. Then he reeled off four straight birdies, interrupted by a bogey at No. 12, before another four-birdie tear on holes 14-17. Crane signed for a 63 and awaited his fate in the clubhouse.
Simpson, perhaps the hottest American golfer going, could only par in from the 12th hole while Thompson finished one back. Crane and Simpson matched pars on the first playoff hole before Simpson stumbled with a bogey on the second (though he did overtake Luke Donald as the year’s leading money winner).
The victory, Crane’s fourth as a pro, should now serve as his 2011 highlight, rather than quirky videos like the infamous “Golf Boys” spot.
The Tour’s next stop is Orlando, Fla., for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic.
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