With four straight rounds in the 60’s, Taylor Pendrith won his first PGA Tour win at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Pendrith shot a 4-under 67 on Sunday to beat Ben Coles by one stroke.
This was also quite a dramatic finish.
Coles carried that momentum into the final hole. He birdied the 16th and 17th and took the lead by one shot to one.
Pendrith lost the 54-hole lead for the third time in his professional career and looked set to hand his first win to Coles.
And then the 18th par 5 came to an end.
Coles chunked his third shot from the rough in front of the green, but it missed the putting surface.
Sadly, some fans called it a massive choke job.
Meanwhile, Pendrith hit two great shots and made a long eagle putt. Although he missed the eagle 3, he was 23 under with four feet left for birdie.
Coles hit a great second chip, but inexplicably missed his 3-foot par putt. It was heartbreaking for him to watch.
Pendrith then calmly made a birdie to earn his first win on the PGA Tour in 74 tries.
“It’s crazy,” Pendrith told CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis. “Ben played great today, making birdies on the 16th and 17th. He didn’t hit his best iron shots until the end, but his last two putts were good. Ben made bogey. I feel sorry for him.” He played very well today. he is very excited. amazing. I’m shaking. ”
The Canadians have had a rough season entering this week. He has only two top-10s, four top-25s, and has missed six games, five of which have come in his last eight starts.
Still, Pendrith started his worst round of the day on Saturday with an 8-under 63 and moved to the top of the leaderboard heading into the final round.
He made a birdie on the first hole and added another birdie on the par-4 sixth hole. The 32-year-old dropped a shot on the eighth, but birdied the ninth and came back with a 34.
Pendrith stayed clean on the back nine, added a birdie on the 12th, and made five straight pars until the final hole.
However, it was the par saves on the 16th and 17th that were important. He sank some very tricky par putts that could have easily ruined his chances.
“I made a jumper on the 16th, and that first putt I saved a lot because I knew if I hit it too high, it wouldn’t come back,” Pendrith said. “I hit a really good shot on the 17th and it just spun out to the front. I had an awkward stance, but at the last second I curled the putt and gave myself a chance. This was unbelievable. Of course, the birdie at the end was really good for me.”
The win moved Pendrith to 34th place in the FedEx Cup standings. He also qualified for the remaining 2024 signature events, starting with the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hallow next week.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
