Kevin Tway Wins Safeway Open After Snedeker Collapse

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 8 October 2018

Kevin Tway won the PGA Tour's 2018/19 season opener with a strong finish in California

Kevin Tway Wins Safeway Open After Snedeker Collapse

Kevin Tway, son of 1986 USPGA Champion Bob Tway, won his maiden PGA Tour title at the Safeway Open on a windy day in Napa, California.

He was tied with Brandt Snedeker and Ryan Moore at 14 under par after 72 holes and three-straight birdies in the playoff saw them both off.

Tway also birdied 17 and 18 so finished his day with five in a row.

The Tways become the 10th father/son duo to win on the PGA Tour.

Kevin Tway moves up to a career-high 85th in the world. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

He closed with a one under par 71 on Sunday, enough to catch 54-hole leader Brandt Snedeker who shot two over.

Snedeker bemoaned his final round performance after his round on social media, thanking fans for the support, saying that "[I] don't deserve it after that junk!!"

Snedeker was three ahead after 54 holes and stretched his lead to five on the front nine but bogeys on 10, 11, 12 and 17 de-railed him.

He then failed to birdie the par-5 18th.

The nine-time PGA Tour winner was eliminated after the first playoff hole before Moore and Tway both birdied the second.

Tway won the third playoff hole, the 10th, with a 10ft birdie putt.

Ryan Moore, the third man in the playoff, equalled the low round of the day with a 65 (-5). His birdie try on the 10th came up just short.

Elsewhere, Fred Couples closed with a 75 to finish at five under and T41st.

The 1992 Masters champion, who shot 65 to make the cut, revealed earlier in the week that the Safeway Open may well be his final regular PGA Tour start.

Leaderboard:

1 Kevin Tway -14

T2 Ryan Moore -14

T2 Brandt Snedeker -14

T4 Luke List -13

T4 Troy Merritt -13

T4 Sam Ryder -13

T4 Aaron Baddeley -13

T4 Sungjae Im -13

9 JB Holmes -11

T10 Danny Lee -10

T10 Jim Knous -10

T10 Chase Wright -10

T10 Bill Haas -10

*Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage

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Elliott Heath is our Senior Staff Writer and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016. He graduated in Sports Journalism in 2016 and currently manages the Golf Monthly news, courses and travel sections as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Elliott has interviewed some huge names in the golf world including Sergio Garcia, Thomas Bjorn, Bernd Wiesberger and Scotty Cameron as well as a number of professionals on the DP World and PGA Tours. He has also covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as three Open Championships including at Carnoustie in 2018 when he was inside the ropes with Tiger Woods. He has played 31 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Old Head and Alwoodley. He currently plays at West Byfleet Golf Club in Surrey, where his handicap index floats anywhere between 4-6. His golfing highlight is making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, and he has made one hole-in-one.

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Honma TR20

3 wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Max

2 iron: Mizuno MP-18 MMC Fli-Hi

Irons: Mizuno MP5 4-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x