Lucas Glover Captures FedEx St Jude Championship After Playoff Victory Over Patrick Cantlay
The 43-year-old becomes the first person since Vijay Singh to win consecutive PGA Tour events in their forties after victory last week at the Wyndham Championship
Lucas Glover's remarkable run of form continued as he made it back-to-back wins on the PGA Tour after a playoff victory against Patrick Cantlay in the FedEx St Jude Championship.
Glover, who won last week at the Wyndham Championship, held the overnight lead at TPC Southwind in Memphis but was caught by Cantlay after he fired the round of the day - a superb six-under-par 64 - to set the clubhouse lead at -15.
Glover battled to a one-under-par round of 69 to join his fellow American in the playoff, triumphing on the first extra hole with a par after Cantlay found the water with his drive off the 18th.
“If you would have told me this three months ago, I'd tell you you're crazy,” Glover said reflecting on his win. “But at the same time, if you asked me legitimately did I think I was capable, I'd say yes, even then.
“It's just one of those sad ways athletes are wired. We always believe in ourselves no matter how bad it is. I never gave that up, but in the middle of May, it was hard to go to the range some days and hard to work.
“But we pushed through and did it anyway.”
Consecutive wins for the 43-year-old catapults Glover up to fourth in the FedEx Cup rankings and into the conversation for a Ryder Cup captain's pick but victory on Sunday was not without its struggles.
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After just one birdie in the first 13 holes, the 2009 US Champion briefly lost the lead with a bogey on 14 but bounced back in style with a birdie on 16 followed by a crucial par save on 17 after a wayward tee shot.
The American would see a putt to win the tournament in regulation come up short, but he was ultimately victorious when Cantlay’s par putt just missed on the first playoff hole.
Glover, who was already the oldest player to win on the PGA Tour this season, now becomes the first person since Vijay Singh in 2008 to win consecutive PGA Tour events in their forties.
One shot further back after 72 holes was Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy at -14. Fleetwood missed a putt on the 18th to get into the playoff but saw his late-season form continue while McIlroy holed over 100 feet in putts en route to a final round 65, perhaps vindicating the Northern Irishman’s decision to change his putter before the tournament.
Ben joined Golf Monthly having completed his NCTJ in multimedia sports journalism at News Associates, London. He is now a freelance journalist who also works for The Independent, Metro, UEFA and Stats Perform.
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