Final Day Sunday at the 2021 PGA Champs

Posted on May 24, 2021
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Sunday at the 2021 PGA What a Sunday! One of the best in living memory! It had it all. Kiawah Island woke up Sunday with a different wind, it was gusting up to 20mph and suddenly players were hitting different shots from the day before. It all sparked a little unknown to fuel the butterflies that were already there. All in all, it was definitely an easier day, more scores in the 60s, which made for excitement, and a new low round of the tournament. Ultimately the day ended with a worthy Champion on a day you could not predict. There were plenty of big numbers to be had if you got greedy - ask Cantlay and Im - who both took chances in their pursuit of victory after getting into contention. The leaders also found it tough - major pressure down the stretch will break even the strongest of contenders, and the top 3 all had over par rounds on Sunday. With Phil the Thrill and BK in the final pair it was never going to be boring and from the get-go it was electric. A Phil 3-putt to start and a BK birdie set the tone for numerous 2 shot swings both ways across the front 9: On 2: BK makes double on 2, Phil birdie On 3: Phil makes bogey On 5: Phil CHIPS IN for birdie On 6: Phil makes bogey On 7: BK makes 6 and Phil birdie After all of that bedlam, at the turn - The Thrill held a slender 2 shot lead over BK and King Louis. The back 9 was going to be electric and it delivered. More than anything you could envisage. The support acts played their part, posting 4 unders for T2. This left 1 man to post 6 under for the win, his sixth major and the oldest major champion of all time. The scenes down 18, with thousands behind the players and eventually ahead of the players, was a little crazy to say the least. An iconic moment. Phil and BK were stuck in a queue trying to get onto the green. It was chaos created by a 50 year old veteran winning from nowhere and a disease that has kept fans at home for so long. A perfect storm of sorts. Phil The Thrill backed up the expectations of the course in terms of needing prior experience and links-type experience. His short game was there too, but most importantly his mix of driver and 2-wood, kept him in the fairway and in the hunt. Half-way through Friday, Phil was heading south at pace, until he finished with 4 birdies to get his mind clear and back into the lead, which he never relinquished. Finally as the dust settles on a manic charge - that major will go down as one of the greatest in recent memory. The moment certainly was tangible, a 50 year old winning his sixth major. The stuff of dreams. This definitely ranks up there with Tiger’s win in 2019 and Jack in 1986. Round of the Day Players enjoyed a chance to make some birdies after the pain from days 1 to 3. The early starters enjoyed lighter winds which picked up the day progressed. JRose tied the best of the week 31 on the front 9, with 5 birdies, and he eventually signed for a 67. Ancer was another who tied Rose thru 9 holes with a 31, then posted 2 further birdies and no bogeys in a round of the week 65. This propelled him way up the leaderboard into the top 10. Expect a lot more from Ancer ahead. Shot of the Day The pressure of the lead, coming off a bogey on the third when his usual short game went south, Phil the Thrill steps up and hits a beauty of a sand shot for a 2. But then down the wire, the bomb he peeled off on 16 was also right up there, which set up a separating birdie after a sublime chip. The Leaders The top 5 was thrown into a bizarre spin - with 2 under propping from 4th place and it was filled gleefully with a pair of Claret Jug winners (Lowry and Padraig) and matched by The Big Rig (on debut) and Casey. King Louis was left to rue another missed chance at claiming the elusive 2nd major - a closing 73 was never going to be good enough. What will hurt more is that all he needed to win was a 70. Unfortunately the putter went cold - he could only make 2 putts longer than 8ft all weekend! BK had the lead early, exactly as he expected, but never did he forecast to slide so badly after the opening birdie. He was battling a tiring and sore knee and he just could not keep pace on the board with The Thrill nor could he keep up with his driving length or piercing irons. Phil now heads to Torrey Pines, qualified, and with a real chance of getting a Grand Slam, which would probably surpass any Grand Slam done before. The Chasers The top 8s managed to lock their tickets into next year’s PGA Champs at Southern Hills and all finished under par on the treacherous layout. Zala nailed another major top 10, surely a first win is around the corner. Rickie, on a special exemption, registered his first top 10 anywhere since the start of 2020! Streels registered his best ever major finish. The defending champ, Collin, had an impressive showing and added more major creds to his budding career. Then top 10 regulars like JRose, Rahmbo and the Phenom added another notch to their impressive resumes. Some of these names could be good early bets for Torrey! For a full view of the scores head to the PGA Champs Leaderboard and to the majorpunter leaderboard. majorpunter Leaderboard: