Kyle Stanley won the Quicken Loans National with a nerveless playoff win over Charles Howell III at TPC Potomac. Stanley and playing partner Howell III both carded stellar rounds of 66 in regulation before entering a sudden death playoff, which Stanley won with a par on the 18th. Both players were hard pressed by the chasing pack, with Rickie Fowler shooting 67 to end the tournament two back of the leaders. The five-foot putt Kyle Stanley holed on the final hole moved him up to 14th in the FedExCup standings. His victory brought him back into the winner’s circle, five years after he had won his last PGA Tour title.
The Long Road Back for Kyle Stanley
Kyle Stanley won his last PGA Tour title, the Waste Management Phoenix Open, in 2012. A new young prospect on the PGA Tour, his future looked bright after his 2012 victory. He shot a scintillating final round 65 to clinch the title by a single shot over Ben Crane. Many predicted that he would go on to achieve even more in the season. However, at that moment his game left him. As a consequence his career trajectory went in a downward spiral. He was forced to alternate between the PGA and Web.com Tour in the 2015 season. In the last two seasons he has shown a marked improvement, recording four top-10 finishes this season.
The return to the winner’s circle was a long hard one for Kyle Stanley, and the emotion he showed upon winning last week was no surprise. The pressure of the situation on the PGA Tour is often understated. It is therefore impressive how Stanley managed to overcome his doubts and return to where he belongs in the winner’s circle, with the best on Tour.
Over in Europe:
On the European Tour last week Tommy Fleetwood won the HNA Open de France with a classy final round of 66, beating American Peter Uihlein by one shot. Fleetwood’s bogey free final round of 66 not only shot him to victory, but also moved him to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings (the European equivalent to the FedExCup). It was as an incredible victory for Tommy, after a near miss at the US Open, and at a course he has not done very well on in the past.
This week on Tour:
The PGA Tour moves to The Old White TPC in West Virginia this week for the Greenbrier Classic. Torrential rains flooded the course last year and the 2016 Greenbrier Classic was cancelled. After some extremely hard work by the green keeping team, this year the Greenbrier Classic is back. Danny Lee remains defending champion. He will have to face a strong field consisting of players such as Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed.
On the European Tour Rory McIlroy hosts this year’s Irish Open at Portstewart Golf Course in Northern Ireland. The field this year is extremely strong. Top names such as Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Rose and Jon Rahm join McIlroy, as he seeks to defend his title.
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