Justin Rose claims FedEx St Jude Championship on third play-off hole
The Englishman, who at 45 became the oldest European to win on the PGA Tour in the modern era, looked out of it after a bogey at the 12th dropped him to 12 under, two off the pace with Tommy Fleetwood, world number one Scottie Scheffler and Spaun ahead of him.
But four birdies from the 14th catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard and he just missed a 13-footer at the last to win outright.
He produced two more birdies in three play-off holes – one a clutch effort after Spaun had holed from distance – with the second from 14ft after Spaun was half that distance away proving decisive as his opponent's attempt to extend the contest raced past.
READ MORE
'That was an amazing last 90 minutes. I never stopped believing,' Rose said in his post-round interview.
'I played unbelievable golf coming down the stretch and had so much fun with it. JJ dropped a bomb on me (at the second extra hole), it was a lot of fun.
'When I bring my best I know I'm good enough to play against the best players in the world. This is going to be a fun one for us to celebrate.'
The play-off was packed with drama from the start as Rose – who barely cleared the lake with his drive – gave himself an identical 13-foot putt to the one he missed to win the tournament, but it burned the edge of the cup.
Playing the hole again, Rose hit to eight feet but Spaun recreated his US Open final green heroics with a monster birdie, forcing the Englishman to hold his nerve.
The hole location was re-cut for the third attempt to avoid shadows and Spaun duly hit it to seven feet but Rose, who had lost his previous four play-offs including, like Spaun, to Rory McIlroy this year, dramatically turned the tables by holing his 14ft birdie and Spaun fired past.
Rose's joy meant more heartbreak for Fleetwood, who blew another chance to break his PGA Tour duck at the 162nd attempt with a poor finish.
The Ryder Cup team-mates had holidayed together in Portugal last week, but failed to spark each other into life in the final group.
Fleetwood did not make a birdie until holing his longest putt of the week from 33 feet at the 12th to put him back in a share of the lead.
Birdies at the 13th and 15th edged him two in front on 16 under, but as he was escaping with a par after chipping across and off the green with his third at the 16th, Spaun was tying the lead with a birdie at 17.
Fleetwood's weak attempt at a seven-foot par putt at the 17th never threatened and needing a birdie at the last just to make a play-off, he drove into a bunker and missed the green with his approach.
'I'm obviously going to be disappointed. There's a lot of positives to take but it won't feel like that right now,' said Fleetwood, whose 29th top-five PGA Tour finish is 11 more than any other player without a win over the last 40 years.
'I'm just going to look at what I feel like I could have done and how close it was.'
Scheffler, without his regular caddie Ted Scott who returned home due to a family emergency, finished a shot outside the play-off after two birdies in his final three holes.
Jordan Spieth's Ryder Cup hopes were dealt a blow after he dropped out of the top 50 of FedEx Cup rankings and missed the cut for next week's penultimate event after dumping his approach to the last into the water, ending his season and, at 27th in the United States' rankings, likely his Ryder Cup hopes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Sky expecting to hold off Netflix for exclusive US Open golf coverage
Sky Sports is in advanced talks over signing a new six-year deal for exclusive live rights for the US Open. Sky's current contract expires after next year's Championship at Shinnecock Hills and it is expecting to beat off competition from other broadcasters, including Netflix, to secure an extension. The new deal will cement Sky's position as the home of televised golf in Ireland and the UK, as it currently has the rights for all the men's and women's majors, the Ryder Cup , PGA Tour and DP World Tour. The PGA Tour deal also expires next year, and Sky is expected to seek an extension. Sources involved in the tender process said Netflix also made a credible offer, which reflects its growing interest in securing sports content. READ MORE Another source said Netflix viewed the US Open as fitting its sports model of bidding for stand-alone events it feels will attract new subscribers, rather than attempting to take on traditional broadcast companies in the battle for year-round content from leagues and global tours. It previously collaborated with the US PGA on the documentary Full Swing, which ran for three series. Netflix is becoming a significant player in the battle for sports content and earlier this year secured exclusive US rights for the 2027 and 2031 women's World Cup, while it also has a three-year contract with the NFL to broadcast two matches live on Christmas Day from 2024 to 2026. Netflix increasingly views sports as a key part of its entertainment offering following the huge success of the controversial Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight it broadcast last year, which was watched in 65 million households in the US alone, with 50 million households streaming the other main fight on the card between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. In January Netflix announced a 10-year deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) worth $5 billion (€4.3 billion) to broadcast the hit wrestling show Raw. Having enjoyed a major hit with Drive to Survive, Netflix is also understood to be bidding for US Formula 1 rights from next year. Sky has the UK F1 rights secured until 2029, and will seek an extension when the tender process takes place. Sky declined to comment. – Guardian
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Rory McIlroy shoots down idea of being a playing captain for Europe at a future Ryder Cup
Rory McIlroy has said he does not think that it is possible to be a playing captain for the Ryder Cup and rejected the idea of being a future one. It is a dilemma faced by United States captain Keegan Bradley, who is 10th on the qualification list for the 12-man team in a month's time. 'I've been asked to do that and I've turned it down,' McIlroy said. 'The idea of me being a playing captain sometime soon has come up and I've shot it down straight away because I don't think you can do it. 'If you'd have said it 20 years ago I'd say it was probably possible to do, but how big of a spectacle it is and everything that's on the line in a Ryder Cup now, I just think it would be a very difficult position to be in. READ MORE 'There's a lot of things that people don't see that the captain does the week of the Ryder Cup, especially now that the Ryder Cup has become so big. 'The captain's only going to be able to play one session on Friday, one session on Saturday. Would you rather not have a player that has the flexibility to go twice if he's playing well?' Rory McIlroy believes Keegan Bradley is good enough to play on the US Ryder Cup team. Photograph:Weighing in on Bradley's decision, the Northern Irishman said: 'I definitely think he's one of the best 12 American players right now. That's why everyone is so interested and it's such a compelling case, and it's going to be – I'm just as interested as everyone else to see how it all plays out.' McIlroy, who plays in an enticing pairing with world number one Scottie Scheffler at the BMW Championship this week, decided to skip the first FedEx Cup playoff event in Memphis. The decision was easily understood given his busy autumn/winter schedule which includes trips to India, Australia and the Middle East. 'I'm playing nine times between now and the end of the year, so I've still got a pretty busy stretch coming up and I just think that extra week off will do me good with the events coming up.' McIlroy finished fourth at Caves Valley Golf Club the last time the BMW Championship was played there in 2021. 'It's a big golf course, you got to drive it well and from then there are a lot of mid-to-low irons out there.' For Shane Lowry , a good week would put a few things beyond doubt. After a disappointing tied 59th finish at the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis, Lowry dropped out of the automatic places for the Ryder Cup team, with Justin Rose surging up the rankings. Lowry would still expect a pick from Luke Donald for Bethpage next month, but would rather not rely on the discretion of the captain. Lowry also dropped six places to 23rd in the FedEx Cup rankings with the top 30 making it to the Tour Championship at East Lake. With quadruple points on offer, a similarly off-colour week in Baltimore would put his top 30 position under threat. The Irishman's strong season has gone quiet since the Canadian Open in June, with a best finish of tied 40th in his past four events. Scottie Scheffler hits a shot during the Pro-Am prior to the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. Photograph:BMW Championship lowdown Purse: $20 million (€17 million); $3.6 million (€3.07 million) to the winner. Where: Baltimore, Maryland The course: Caves Valley Golf Club is a 7,601-yard par 70 course designed by Tom Fazio. Opened in 2021, it has undergone significant renovations since with different grass types planted to promote firm and fast conditions. In 2021, Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau blitzed the course to shoot 27 under, which included an epic six-hole playoff as Cantlay won the title. To increase the difficulty and avoid such scores again, the course has gone from a par 72 to a par 70, with 60 yards added on top. The field: The best 50 players on the PGA Tour go against each other, minus Sepp Straka, who pulled out due to a family emergency. Rory McIlroy goes in guaranteed of making next week's Tour Championship, while Shane Lowry will be left looking over his shoulder to make the top 30 in 23rd. Quote-Unquote: 'I would pick him. I don't think you're going to find any or many Americans that are going to argue that he shouldn't be on the team.' – Rickie Fowler on whether Keegan Bradley should pick himself for the Ryder Cup or not. Irish in the field: Shane Lowry is playing at 3.27pm with Nick Taylor. Rory McIlroy is playing at 4.16pm with Scottie Scheffler. Betting: Scottie Scheffler 2-1, Rory McIlroy 6-1, Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Aberg 14-1, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay 16-1. On TV: Live on Sky Sports+ from 2.15pm, on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Justin Rose character shines after Rory McIlroy 'selfish' comments
Justin Rose has revealed the mentality that allowed him to secure the St Jude Championship on Sunday. The 45 year old achieved a historic feat by becoming the oldest European golfer to claim victory on the PGA Tour. Throughout the competition, Tommy Fleetwood looked set to capture his maiden PGA title in Memphis. Despite maintaining a two-stroke lead with just three holes remaining, Fleetwood's par on the 16th allowed his rivals to narrow the deficit, eventually creating a tie between Rose and US Open winner JJ Spaun at 16-under-par. Rose prevailed in their three-hole playoff to secure the 12th PGA triumph of his career. The Englishman, who finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the Masters in April, explained how his calculated approach had helped him stay consistent and achieve success at the St Jude Championship. He remarked during his press conference: "I've always known I've had that. Rory McIlroy has previously shared his thoughts about Justin Rose (Image:) "Like I get nervous for the best of them, you know, like I feel nervous at times, but I know that when it matters, I still got it. I kind of get, I feel better and better and better as it gets more and more important.", reports Belfast Live. "So that's good to know. It's the hard stuff to practice. It's the hard stuff to teach. Nice to know that that hasn't left me at this ripe old age. "But listen, I don't want to keep saying that because I'm actually, I feel like I'm moving well. The body's feeling good. I'm training well. Yeah, I feel like there could be, you know, listen, it could be a good run of golf still. So I can't let the age kind of become too much of the story." Rose garnered widespread respect for his reaction to McIlroy's playoff victory at the Masters as the Northern Irishman finally clinched his career Grand Slam. When asked about Rose, McIlroy was glowing in his praise for his five-time Ryder Cup teammate. Justin Rose won his 12th PGA title at the St Jude Championship in Memphis (Image: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) He said: "He's [Rose] a great champion. He has displayed so much grace throughout his career. You know, selfishly, I was happy that it was another Euro in the playoff. "We're on a good run at the minute. We're [in a] Ryder Cup year and all that. He's had a phenomenal record around here, and I feel for him a little bit because he's been so close. He's a good friend, and hopefully, he has a few more opportunities." Rose captured the 2013 US Open but has subsequently finished as runner-up or joint second at five major championships. McIlroy knows him well from their time representing Team Europe, helping deliver four Ryder Cup victories together, and they will reunite once more later this year. Rose was delighted with his finish to the final day to claim the St Jude Championship, seeing his hard work pay off. He added: "I hit a couple good putts in regulation and in the first playoff hole as well. "Obviously JJ dropped a bomb on me, I topped him. It was a lot of fun today. That's why I practice. That's why I play. I've been saying for some time now, obviously Augusta, when I bring my best, I know I'm good enough to play and to compete, and to now win against the best players in the world. Very gratifying day for me and a lot of hard work coming to fruition."
