Harris English won the St. Jude Classic yesterday for his first PGA Tour title, birdieing two of the final three holes to hold off Phil Mickelson and Scott Stallings by two strokes in Memphis, Tenn.
The 23-year-old former Georgia star, in his second year on tour, survived a final round in which he had six birdies and five bogeys. He finished with a 1-under 69 for a 12-under 268 total.
English made a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 16 to tie Stallings for the lead, but Stallings bogeyed No. 18 to give English the lead to himself. English made a 17-foot birdie putt on No. 17, and two-putted No. 18 to pick up the winner’s check of $1,026,000.
Mickelson shot a 67, and Stallings had a 68.
English became the fourth player to win the event in his first try since the tournament moved to TPC Southwind in 1989 and the second straight after Dustin Johnson a year ago.
The final round returned to normal Memphis weather with the temperature reaching the high 80s along with the wind blowing from the south at 10-15 mph as it usually does at Southwind.
English won the Southern Amateur in 2011 and was an amateur when he won on the Web.com Tour at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational in July 2011. He moved to the PGA Tour in 2012 and finished 79th on the money list. Now he has his fourth top 10 this year.
PARK WINS IN PLAYOFF
In Pittsford, N.Y., Inbee Park birdied the third hole of a sudden-death playoff with Catriona Matthew to win the rain-delayed LPGA Championship.
Park made a 20-foot putt on the par-4 18th to go 2-for-2 in LPGA Tour majors this season. She rebounded in the playoff after relinquishing a three-shot lead with a final-round 3-over 75. The top-ranked South Korean star bogeyed three of her final five holes in regulation.
The 42-year-old Matthew, from Scotland, shot a bogey-free 68 to match Park at 5-under 283 at Locust Hill.
MAJOR WIN FOR FROST
David Frost parred the final two holes to hold on for a one-stroke victory over Fred Couples in the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Ala., for the South African’s first Champions Tour major title.
Both birdied No. 16 after play resumed with the sun shining after a delay of 1 hour, 8 minutes for lightning in a round played at times in a driving rain.
Frost didn’t flinch in the showdown with the Presidents Cup captain and World Golf Hall of Famer. Both shot 4-under 68, and Frost finished at 16-under 272.
It was his second victory of the season and fifth career win on the 50-and-over tour.