LOS ANGELES – Taylor Pendrith survived a couple of sharp twists and turns on his way to securing his first PGA Tour title on May 5.
The Canadian birdied the par-five 18th hole to beat Ben Kohles and win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in a dramatic finish at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.
“I felt really calm all week. And all today I felt really calm too, until the end where things got a little interesting,” said Pendrith, 32.
He posted a four-under 67 in the final round to go 23-under 261 for the week. Kohles’ 66 powered him to the runner-up finish one stroke behind, and Swedish veteran Alex Noren placed third at 21 under after a final-round 65.
Pendrith was stuck on 22 under for five straight holes from the 13th, while playing partner Kohles made impressive birdies at the par-four 16th and par-three 17th to tie and then pass him for the lead.
However, Kohles missed the 18th fairway and came up short of the green, landing between two bunkers. He could not get up onto the green on his third shot, and when he finally did, he missed a five-foot par save.
That reopened the door for Pendrith, whose lag putt from 41 feet had left him three feet for the winning birdie.
More than once, Pendrith described the decisive sequence of the tournament as a “blur” to him.
“He’d been playing so good all day. I expected him to have a putt at birdie (at No. 18), so I was fully prepared to try and make that (eagle) putt,” he said of Kohles.
“I didn’t hit the best putt. I was a little disappointed that I left it short, but then when he missed his par putt and I realised I had a putt for the win, it was all a blur really.
“I’ve never had a putt to win a PGA Tour event, so my caddie said this is the straightest putt we’ve had all year and just knock it in.”
Pendrith had experienced close calls, notably tying for second at the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
“I learnt that I need to stay aggressive, play my own game, not worry about what others are doing and go out there and win it and not let it, I guess, be brought to you,” he said.
Pendrith and Kohles, a relative unknown ranked No. 139 in the world on May 5, finished one-two in the current Aon Swing 5. That means their recent runs of good form qualified them for the next signature event, the May 9-12 Wells Fargo Championship.
“I felt awesome out there, even on 18,” said Kohles, who was born in nearby Dallas and moved away at age 10.
“Of course feeling the nerves on the back nine, but that’s why we play.
“Keep reminding myself this is what I want to do and why I want to be here. Yeah, really proud of myself all day.”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is not in the field for the US$20 million (S$27 million) Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, as his wife Meredith is expected to go into labour with the couple’s first child. REUTERS
