Winners and losers from the Wyndham and LPGA Championship
This past weekend saw a lot of great storylines and we are here to give you the good and the bad of it. Here are our winners and losers from the past week in golf.
Winners
Camilo Villegas — Years ago, Villegas was the "next big thing" in golf, a young, fit star from Columbia with a ton of potential and the appeal to pull different fans to golf. Villegas' career took a serious hit in 2012 when he made just 15 of 25 cuts and failed to card a single top-10, and while it didn't improve much in 2013, there were signs that he could return to relevance. The 63 that Villegas put together on Sunday at the Wyndham was good enough for a one-shot victory and a fourth PGA Tour win. It also moved Villegas up to 37th on the FedEx Cup points list, important considering the next four weeks of golf and the money to be made if he can continue to play like he did at Sedgefield.
Inbee Park — As regulation was winding down at the LPGA Championship, it looked like Americans would sweep the majors in 2014, but when Brittany Lincicome three-putted the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Park, it seemed inevitable that the 26-year-old from South Korea would finish with the trophy. Another bogey by Lincicome in the playoff meant a a fourth major title in the last 10 LPGA majors, and a fifth overall for Park.
Sang-Moon Bae — Needing a good week to qualify for the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, Bae shot matching 66s on the weekend to sneak into the top-125 and earn a spot at the Barclays next week. Bae finished his round off with a 10-footer on the 72nd hole for a birdie, celebrating like a man that had a goal in mind before the week began and was able to pull it off.
Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker — Knowing that Tom Watson is looking for anyone playing well to pick with his three captain's selections, Simpson and Snedeker both finished T-5 at the Wyndham, trending in the right direction to sport the red, white and blue next month at the Ryder Cup.
Losers
Nick Watney — For most of Sunday, it looked like Watney would be the PGA Tour player with the jump-start win, and needing a birdie on the last to tie Villegas at 17-under, Watney hit his tee shot out of bounds, making a disappointing double-bogey to drop into a T-5.
Heath Slocum — Not only was Slocum playing for a spot in the playoffs next week, but the 40-year-old had a chance to win his fifth PGA Tour title after an eagle on the 15th and a birdie on the 16th. That was when the wheels started to come off, with Slocum making a bogey on the 17th and with a 50-foot birdie putt on the last to get back to 17-under and tie Villegas, he ran it well by, missing the par putt that not only dropped him another spot on the leaderboard, but would have landed him a spot in the top-125. Now Slocum has to head back to the Web.com Tour Finals if he wants to earn his PGA Tour card for 2015, a really disappointing finish for the man that had plenty at stake down the stretch at the Wyndham.
