Monday 4 November 2019 12:37, UK
Colin Montgomerie claimed his first PGA Tour Champions title of the season after beating Bernhard Langer in a play-off at the Invesco QQQ Championship.
Montgomerie fired a sensational nine-under 63 in the final round to vault into a share of the lead with his former Ryder Cup partner, and a par at the first extra hole was enough for victory when Langer needed four attempts to escape a greenside bunker.
The Scot was five strokes off the lead overnight, but he birdied four of the first five holes on Sunday and then enjoyed back-to-back chip-ins at the 10th and 11th for birdie and eagle respectively.
Montgomerie then birdied two of the final three holes, including a 40-foot putt at the last for a bonus three, to close on 14 under, a score matched only by Langer after the German carded a five-birdie 67 as overnight-leader Retief Goosen finished one behind the top two after a 69.
Langer then dumped his approach into a tricky lie in the sand back at the 18th, and his first three escape attempts all failed to find the putting surface while Montgomerie found the heart of the green in two and safely two-putted for the winning par.
"How often does that happen with Bernhard?" said Montgomerie, whose victory lifted him from 12th to fourth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings ahead of next week's final event of the year in Phoenix. "I felt for him in that bunker there, it was very unfortunate for him."
A year after he considered giving up professional golf, Brendon Todd fired the best round of his career to storm to a four-shot victory at the inaugural Bermuda Championship.
Todd broke into the world's top 50 when he won the Byron Nelson Championship in May, 2014, but a rapid decline in form and confidence resulted in him losing his PGA Tour card two seasons later, and he made the cut only four times in 41 starts from 2016 to 2018.
However, the 34-year-old got back into the winners' circle thanks to a stunning 62 on the final day which included seven consecutive birdies on the front nine.
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Todd stayed on course for a 59 when he picked up further shots at 10 and 11, but he added only one more at the 15th and, despite closing with a bogey, he had done more than enough to claim victory over Harry Higgs with a winning score of 24 under par.
"A year ago I wasn't sure if I was going to keep playing, so it's really special to get this win this soon," said Todd, who started the tournament ranked 525th in the world. "I had ball-striking yips, hitting a four-iron 50 yards right out of play every round and I did that for two years."
Nelly Korda successfully defended her Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA title after edging out Caroline Masson and Minjee Lee with a birdie at the first play-off hole at the Miramar Golf Club in New Taipei City.
Korda maintained her overnight three-shot lead with five holes to play until her putting form deserted her as she three-putted three times in four holes before bouncing back with a closing birdie to tie Masson and Lee on 18 under.
The young American then found the heart of the green in two at the leading trio returned to the par-five 18th, and a two-putt birdie was enough to clinch her third career LPGA Tour victory.
Masson had mixed emotions after missing out on the title as her fiance, Jason McDede, is Korda's caddie. "I'm quite happy to see them win," said the German, who will marry McDede next year. "I'm proud of the two of them, the way they work together, and hopefully I get another chance to beat them down the stretch the next few years."
