Ryan Palmer wins Ginn sur Mer Classic
Ryan Palmer makes a crucial birdie on the 72nd hole to win the Ginn sur Mer Classic by a single shot.
Ryan Palmer made a crucial birdie on the 72nd hole to win the Ginn sur Mer Classic in Florida by a single shot from a group of five players.
Kjeldsen and Karlsson win at Valderrama
The American came into the week 143rd on the money list and was in serious danger of losing his playing privileges for 2009. He now has the luxury of a two-year exemption.
Palmer was forced to call a penalty on himself on the 10th hole of the final round when his ball moved slightly after he addressed it on the green. That resulted in a bogey and it had clearly rattled the 32-year-old. His next tee shot was pulled into the water and he went on to make a double bogey at the 11th hole.
At that point Palmer had fallen out of the lead but a birdie on the par-5 13th saw him climb back into a share of the top spot. The Texan parred the next four holes before making a key birdie at the 18th. He laid up with his second, fired a sand wedge into 10 feet and sunk the putt to break clear of the log-jam on six-under-par and win the tournament by one.
In one of the most congested finishes to an event on this year’s PGA Tour, the title could have gone to any one of about ten players. Aside from the five men who finished a single shot back, John Huston hit his tee shot into the water on the 16th and finished two back, Mark Wilson also made double bogey at that hole. Robert Allenby needed a birdie at the last to tie but his approach went long and he failed to get up and down.
Palmer is the fifth winner in six tournaments of the PGA Tour’s Fall Series who has been outside the top 125 on the money list. The exception was Zach Johnson who was bang on 125th spot when he won in Texas.
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
1 Ryan Palmer (USA) 67 71 72 71 281 $828,000 T2 Ken Duke (USA) 70 69 72 71 282 $276,000 T2 Michael Letzig (USA) 65 74 70 73 282 $276,000 T2 George McNeill (USA) 71 71 71 69 282 $276,000 T2 Vaughn Taylor (USA) 69 74 69 70 282 $276,000 T2 Nicholas Thompson (USA) 71 70 72 69 282 $276,000 T7 Robert Allenby (Aus) 68 71 73 71 283 $133,860 T7 Brian Gay (USA) 72 70 72 69 283 $133,860 T7 John Huston (USA) 70 70 70 73 283 $133,860 T7 Troy Matteson (USA) 71 74 70 68 283 $133,860 T7 Tom Scherrer (USA) 68 76 70 69 283 $133,860
Note: Players in bold signifies Titleist ball usage.
Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.
He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.
Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?