Sepp Straka se Corona Campeón en el Truist Championship
Sepp Straka demonstrated his skill on the field by securing the lead with a par on the 16th hole and signing a card of 68 strokes, two under par. In an exciting Sunday, Straka surpassed Shane Lowry in the final round of the Truist Championship, held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, thus achieving his second victory of the season.
After Lowry missed the green with his tee shot on the 16th hole, a 212-yard par-3, Straka left the ball about 30 feet from the hole. Although Lowry attempted a chip from the rough, he failed to convert a 6-foot par putt, falling one stroke behind.
Lowry also missed a 22-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole and, after a problematic drive on the 18th hole, finished with a bogey after three putts.
The duel between both players was resolved with an unexpected ending, as Straka achieved a par with two putts, without pressure, and joined Rory McIlroy, who also has three victories this season.
The Austrian golfer, who played at the University of Georgia, had already won the American Express in January and now has four career victories.
The Truist Championship represented another missed opportunity for Lowry, whose last PGA Tour victory was at the 2019 British Open. In 2022, he won the BMW PGA Championship of the European Tour.
Lowry, with a 70 strokes, par, tied for second place with Justin Thomas (67).
Patrick Cantlay (65), Jacob Bridgeman (65), and Tommy Fleetwood (65) finished tied for fourth place, at 12 under par.
McIlroy, the defending champion and four-time winner of the event at Quail Hollow, his usual venue, failed to stand out and closed with 68 strokes, two under par. In his first individual tournament since completing the Grand Slam at the Masters, McIlroy placed seventh, with 10 under par.
McIlroy is now preparing for next week’s PGA Championship, the second major of the year, which will be held at Quail Hollow, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The favorable scoring conditions returned to the Wissahickon field of the Philly Cricket for the first time since the first round. Thomas, who was looking to win consecutively after his triumph at the RBC Heritage last month, was the only real competitor in the sixth featured event of the PGA Tour season, after a rainy and cold second round and a windy third.
Finally, the competition came down to the leaders of the third round.
Straka took a two-shot lead after the first nine holes. Lowry made a 12-foot birdie on the first hole to get to 15 under par.
Both took advantage of the par 5 on the fifth hole. Lowry made birdie to get to 16 under par and Straka topped him with a 20-foot eagle putt to tie again.
Hole 8 proved problematic for Lowry, who missed the green with his tee shot. Straka seized the opportunity and made a 15-foot birdie to take a one-shot lead, followed by another long putt on the 9th hole, from 28 feet, to reach 17 under par.
Straka’s lead vanished after two holes in the second round, following two consecutive bogeys.
After no one capitalized on the 14th hole, the shortest par 3 of the tour, Lowry nearly made an eagle and settled for a birdie. Straka matched with a birdie from 6 feet and held the lead on the next hole.
Thomas was close to catching the leaders on two occasions. He missed birdie putts of 14 feet on the 12th hole and 3 feet on the 15th hole.
Andrew Novak had the lowest round on Sunday with 64 strokes, 6 under par, and finished in 17th place.
Sahith Theegala withdrew before the start of the final round due to a neck injury.
Professionals expressed their delight with the Wissahickon course on the tour’s return to Philadelphia. The course, which is a century old, drew large crowds throughout the week, causing the event’s merchandise tent to sell out on Saturday and close for the final round.
