Dramatic finale brings PGA Tour to close

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2011 Children's Miracle Network Classic | Wrap | 24 Oct 2011

It was a week full of expectation and nobody will feel let down. Heading into this week’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospital’s Classic near Orlando in Florida, Webb Simpson had the money list lead and if Luke Donald wanted to keep alive his chances of winning the money list honours on both sides of the Atlantic he needed something special.

For so long in this event it appeared as if it that would not be the case. Simpson and Donald kept each other in eyeshot of each other for most of the week to the point that they were even playing with each other on the final day.

Donald needed to win and if he did then Simpson needed to finish runner-up to finish atop the PGA Tour money list and if Donald could finish second then Simpson needed a top eight. Those were the mathematics but in reality it became much more complex.

It appeared as if both scenarios were beyond the reach of Donald until he began a dream run at the 10th hole today. A birdie there was followed by five more in succession and by then he had turned a substantial deficit into a two shot lead.

He had to wait for 40 minutes or so to see if his lead was good enough but in the end he need not have worried as the demanding finish stretch of holes at the Magnolia Golf Course at Lake Buena Vista took its toll.

“It’s hard to put into words,” said Donald after his win. “You know, obviously I came here and I told you guys on Wednesday that the goal was to win. You know, nothing was really going to be good enough other than that.

“You know, I think this is probably one of the most satisfying wins of my career just because of that. It was kind of do or die. Obviously it wasn’t looking great after the 8th hole, but I knew I was going to get on to a run.”

It was Donald’s first stroke-play victory on the PGA Tour since the Honda Classic in 2006 which in itself is an amazing statistic given the quality of player he is. He did win the Accenture Match Play earlier this year however.

“I didn’t play my best golf throughout the week. I knew that something good had to happen. I just just kept plugging away. Obviously to birdie the first six holes on the back nine was the difference this week. I threw a few shots away carelessly throughout the first few days, but this means a lot.

Neither Nick O’Hern nor Justin Leonard could muster the birdies they need to force the issue and the title and the money list race had gone to Luke Donald.

Leonard held on to finish outright second with Tom Pernice, Sunghoon Kang and Kevin Chappell finishing in a share of third.

For Kang and Pernice, their great weeks would see them move inside the top 125 and retain playing rights for 2011. Pernice will also get to play the Champions Tour in 2012.

O’Hern bogeyed his final two holes and finished in a share of 6th and 96th on the money list.

Steve Bowditch and Greg Chalmers finished 16th this week and while Chalmers was already assured of retaining his PGA Tour status Bowditch experienced a roller coaster in his final round. At one stage the projected money list had him at 120th but he dropped shots coming in and that along with the efforts of others would see him finish in 132nd position on the money list.

For Bowditch even though he finished outside the top 125 who retain their playing status, he will still enjoy as many as twenty starts on the PGA Tour next season the only issue being that he will not always know when they are coming.

John Senden and Nathan Green finished 28th this week and Jarrod Lyle 46th.

Green and Lyle lose any status on the PGA Tour and will be required to attend Stage two of qualifying in mid November.

Perhaps the one player who agonised the most over the weekend and could do nothing about it was Rod Pampling who missed the cut in the event. After starting the week in 119th position on the money list, Pampling saw his fortunes fluctuate over the final 36 holes of play. He slipped to 125th at one stage today but eventually finished 124th and has his PGA Tour status back.

Other PGA Tour events remain on the schedule this year but none will count towards the now completed money list

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