Photo Courtesy: U.S. Army
By Jay Betsill
David Lingmerth’s first PGA Tour victory came courtesy of a three-hole playoff over past U.S. Open champion Justin Rose at the Memorial Tournament. The win gets him the victory that gets him into the Masters, PGA Championship, two World Golf Championships and gives him a three-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
“I’ve been in a few playoffs. You win some, you lose some,” Lingmerth said. But I didn’t feel that it was my turn to lose this time. I was telling myself that I was going to make that putt.”
Masters champion Jordan Spieth closed with a 65 and wound up 2 shots out of the playoff in a tie for third.
The most-talked about story of the weekend from Muirfield Village was actually the performance of five-time Memorial champion Tiger Woods. Woods made the cut on the number on Friday afternoon and followed it up with his worst round as a professional, firing an 85 at Jack Nicklaus’ course on Saturday. The 85 included a quadruple bogey on No. 18.
“I did not win, and I wasn’t even close,” said Woods, who finished last, 29 shots behind Lingmerth and Rose. “So hopefully in two weeks’ time, things will be a lot better and I’ll be ready to try to win a U.S. Open.”
Next up on the PGA Tour is the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Big names in the field at the TPC Southwind include defending champion Ben Crane, Luke Donald, Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel, David Duval, Graeme McDowell, Retief Goosen, Padriag Harrington, Davis Love III, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney and Phil Mickelson.
NOTES
— Tyler Aldridge won the inaugural Web.com Tour Greater Dallas Open at The Lakes at Castle Hills in Lewisville.
It was Aldridge’s first Web.com Tour victory and the $90,000 first place check moved him up to 9th on the tour’s money list. The top 25 earn PGA Tour status next season.
— Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods were the highest ranked golfers on Forbes’ annual list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Mickelson and Woods ranked 8th and 9th, earning $50.8 million and $50.6 million in salaries and bonuses between June 1, 2014 and June 1 of this year.
No. 1 ranked Rory McIlroy was next on the list at No. 12 with $48.3 million. Other golfers in the top 100 were Justin Rose, Masters champion Jordan Spieth and 2014 FedExCup winner Billy Horschel.
— Justin Timberlake will be making his debut in this summer’s American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, July 17-19.
Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course is the locale for the annual event. Celebrities expected to play include Charles Barkley, Aaron Rodgers, John Elway, Marcus Allen, Josh Beckett, Penny Hardaway, Marshall Faulk, Greg Maddux, Emmitt Smith, Larry the Cable Guy and many more.
