Burns breaks ducks; Burmester wins again
PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA - MAY 02: Sam Burns of the United States celebrates with the trophy after winning during the final round of the Valspar Championship on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort on May 02, 2021 in Palm Harbor, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Sam Burns gave his PGA Tour career the gloss finish it lacked when he captured the Valspar Championship and his maiden PGA Tour win at Innisbrook.
The Louisiana native (24) found himself a shot behind former PGA Championship winner Bradley with nine holes to go.
But he kept his nerve and covered the finish stretching in one-under, carding a three-under 68 to Bradley’s 71 to win by three strokes on 17-under par.
“I’ve worked so hard for this moment,” he said after being mobbed by his family on the final green. “Just to have them here, they have all sacrificed so much. But my wife and my whole family have been by my side the whole way through. It’s really a dream come true.”
Norway’s Viktor Hovland fired seven birdies in a closing 65 to tie for third on 13-under with Cameron Tringale and add to his Ryder Cup qualifying total while world No 1 Dustin Johnson tied for 48th on two-under after a 69 as he battles to rediscover his best form,
“I don’t think I got one good break the whole week,” said Johnson, who hasn’t had a top-10 finish since the Genesis Invitational in February. “The game is really close to being good.”
On the European Tour, South Africa’s Dean Burmester (31) blasted a nine-under-par 62 to claim a five-shot win on 25-under in the Tenerife Open and his second European Tour crown.
Just a shot behind Finland’s Kalle Samooj and Germany’s Nicolai Nicolai von Dellingshausen overnight, he raced to the turn in five-under 30 before adding four back-nine birdies for his first win outside of the African continent.
“There are no words that can describe it, it's four years of struggle and hard work,” Burmester said.
Von Dellingshausen eagled the 18th to claim outright second on 20-under after a 68 as Samooja shot 69 and Poland's Adrian Meronk a 67 to share third on 19-under.
Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell, who was just four strokes off the lead going into the final round, dropped four shots in his first six holes, eventually carding a three-over 74 to finish tied 42nd (€8,290) on 10-under.
Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney (€4,915) was joint 60th on six-under after a 68 and after making an eagle and 16 birdies at Golf Costa Adeje, he’s looking forward to play the course again in this week’s Canary Islands Championship.
“It was a little frustrating this week,” Kearney confessed. “I just couldn’t keep my momentum going at times. I’d get it going and then drop a shot.
“But I’m looking forward to a couple days rest and then getting at it again next week. My driving has been great, so I’m giving myself plenty of looks at the pin.”
On the Challenge Tour, Gavin Moynihan picked up his first cheque since the Austrian Open nine months ago when he tied for 67th (€633) in the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open.
The Dubliner (26) closed with a four-over 76 to finish on three-over-par as South Africa’s JC Ritchie (27) overcame countryman Jacques Blaauw with a birdie at the first extra hole to win his second European Challenge Tour title.
The South African birdied the 18th to set the target at 14-under with a closing 66 as Blaauw closed with a 69.
