South African qualifies for The Open following two-shot success
Monday 15 July 2019 00:11, UK
Dylan Frittelli fired a seven-under 64 to claim a two-shot victory in the John Deere Classic and secure his maiden PGA Tour win.
The 29-year-old South African, who is playing his first full season on the PGA Tour after winning two European Tour titles in 2017, finished on 21-under 263 at TPC Deere Run in Illinois to foil the late charge of Russell Henley.
Frittelli's triumph also earned him the final qualifying berth for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush and saw him leap to 48th in the FedEx Cup standings.
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The world No 133 started the day in a share of fifth place, two behind joint-overnight leaders Cameron Tringale and Andrew Landry, and he began his round in style with a birdie at the first after hitting his second shot to four feet from a fairway bunker.
He followed that up with birdies at the second and third before adding another at the eighth thanks to more excellent iron play.
Frittelli's back nine kicked off with a chip in from just off the green for a birdie at the 10th and he then holed a 20-footer for a birdie at the 11th to take charge of the tournament on 20 under.
With Henley already in the clubhouse on 19 under, Frittelli kept his nerve over the closing stretch, adding another birdie at the 17th, as he completed the week with only one bogey which came at the first on Friday.
"That was a few less than I was expecting but I'm really happy with that score," Frittelli told Sky Sports. "I just tried to get off to a good start and obviously those three birdies helped a lot and settled the nerves.
"I knew I was a good player. I knew I've been in the top 50 in the world, but to win out here and to do it convincingly on Sunday is crucial. I've had a few bad weekends the last few weeks and this one tastes really sweet."
American Henley put the pressure on the later starters with a tournament-best 10-under 61, which featured four birdies on the front nine and six on the inward half, but he eventually came up two short of victory.
Landry claimed third place on 18 under after holing a 17-foot birdie putt on the last for a 69, while Collin Morikawa, 22, continued his fine run of form with a closing 66 to share fourth place with Chris Stroud (67) on 17 under. Charles Howell III, Vaughn Taylor, Nick Watney and Adam Schenk were all a shot further back.
Norway's Viktor Hovland was another strong finisher with a 64 which lifted him to 14 under and a tie for 16th with Tringale, who slipped down the field with a disappointing 73, which included five bogeys, as he remains without a win after playing in 261 events.
Scotland's Martin Laird made it back-to-back 70s over the weekend as he ended up in a tie for 37th on 10 under, while Englishman Luke Donald signed off with a 71 to tie for 56th place on seven under.
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