Novak, Griffin earn first PGA Tour wins at Zurich

AVONDALE, La. — Andrew Novak is having the sort of month that may remodel a PGA Tour participant’s profession.

Ben Griffin was gratified to crew up together with his previous good friend throughout what has grow to be a heady time for the each of them.

Griffin drained a clutch birdie putt from almost 35 ft on the seventeenth gap, and the tandem mixed for a 1-under 71 in alternate-shot play Sunday to grow to be first-time PGA Tour winners — by one stroke — on the Zurich Traditional.

“Fortunately, I had Ben there for me at the moment,” Novak stated. “He carried us down the stretch. So thrilling to get our first win collectively.”

Novak and Griffin completed at 28-under 260 on the Pete Dye-designed TPC Louisiana and Novak lastly broke by after a pair of top-three finishes this month — the final a playoff loss to Justin Thomas per week in the past on the RBC Heritage.

“I’ve finished a reasonably good job not getting overly pissed off with the shut shaves,” Novak stated. “I have been attempting to take as many positives from every as I can. There was a whole lot of confidence coming into this week for certain.”

Masters champion Rory McIlroy and fellow Irishman Shane Lowry, the defending champions, had been in competition by 12 holes, however fell to twelfth — six photographs behind — with three late bogeys.

Danish similar twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard narrowly missed out on a primary PGA Tour win, ending second after a 68.

Play was delayed by climate for simply over 90 minutes with Novak on Griffin on the eighth gap.

The pair credited their friendship with serving to them keep composed by the delay and play properly off of each other throughout the tense ultimate holes.

Novak, 30, grew up in South Carolina, and the 28-year-old Griffin is from North Carolina. They performed in lots of the identical tournaments as youngsters, and have become nearer early of their professional careers, coaching collectively after they each lived in Sea Island, South Carolina.

“We have finished nearly the whole lot in our profession collectively,” Griffin stated. “It is only a full-circle second … I really feel like we have had comparable tracks to the place we’re at the moment.”

Novak and Griffin started the PGA Tour’s solely crew occasion three photographs forward however had been caught by Jake Knapp and Frankie Capan III earlier than pulling again forward on Griffin’s pivotal putt on the par-3 seventeenth.

That gave the eventual winners a two-shot lead after Capan had pulled his tee shot on 17 into the water left of the inexperienced.

“I used to be attempting to hit the right shot,” Capan stated, noting that he was aiming about 25 ft proper of the outlet with the wind blowing proper to left. “Simply received slightly fast and sort of turned it left.

“It was a tricky end; it was a terrific week,” Capan added.

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Novak’s tee shot additionally went farther left than meant and he had his hand over his chest because the ball stopped close to the water’s edge.

The birdie allowed his crew to win with a par on 18 and seize 400 FedEx Cup factors every, together with winner’s checks of $1.33 million apiece.

McIlroy and Lowry had been simply three photographs off the lead after they bogeyed the 384-yard, par-4 thirteenth — with every mishitting a chip earlier than McIlroy missed a par putt from simply inside 11 ft.

Regardless of their late fade, they’d a big, supportive gallery on 18. McIlroy acknowledged followers with a number of waves earlier than Lowry made a crowd-pleasing birdie putt. A smiling McIlroy retrieved the ball from the outlet and flipped it into the water.

“It has been a enjoyable week,” McIlroy stated. “We felt like we nonetheless had a great likelihood, and we did not make birdie on (the par-5 eleventh), after which we bogeyed 13 once more for the second time this week.”

The Hojgaard twins had been inside a stroke of the lead after Nicolai made a 42-foot birdie putt on the par-3 14th. On 16, Rasmus narrowly missed a 27-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead, the ball stopping on fringe of the outlet. However that was as shut as they might get.

“There’s a whole lot of positives from this week,” Nicolai Hojgaard stated. “It is a very long time since I actually loved per week like this the place I may have my bro as my companion and in addition contend.”

Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo, the PGA Tour rookies who led after every of the primary two days, completed with a 71 and tied for eighth at 24 underneath. They set the match better-ball report Thursday with a 58.