Daniel Berger broke through for his maiden victory last year at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, and he’s not ready yet to hand over the trophy. Here’s how things ended up at TPC Southwind, where Berger rallied to successfully defend his title:
Leaderboard: Daniel Berger (-10), Charl Schwartzel (-9), Whee Kim (-9), Braden Thornberry (a) (-8), Billy Horschel (-8), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (-8)
What it means: Berger started the day three shots off the lead, but he erased that deficit with three birdies over his first 13 holes and then took the lead for good with a birdie on No. 15. It’s his second career win and second straight in Memphis, as he posted 10 under and watched as a number of contenders were unable to match. The win gives Berger some extra momentum heading into the U.S. Open and likely locks up his spot on the U.S. Presidents Cup team.
FedEx St. Jude Classic: Articles, photos and videos
Round of the day: Horschel made the biggest move of the day, jumping 33 spots into a tie for fourth after a final-round 64. Weeks after his win at the AT&T Byron Nelson, Horschel made seven birdies on his round including four straight across Nos. 15-18 to close it out and briefly snag a share of the clubhouse lead.
Best of the rest: Thornberry was playing less than two weeks after winning the NCAA individual title, and he snagged a T-4 finish in his PGA Tour debut after a final-round 65. The Ole Miss product made an eagle on the par-5 third hole to go along with three birdies and matched Lee McCoy’s finish at last year’s Valspar Championship for the best finish since 1998 by an amateur in a non-opposite event.
Biggest disappointment: Stewart Cink began the day with a share of the lead as he looked for his first win since the 2009 Open, but the veteran fell back with a 3-over 73. Cink’s victory chances ended when he played Nos. 10-15 in 4 over, and his T-10 finish equaled that of fellow 54-hole co-leader Ben Crane.
Shot of the day: Berger took control of the tournament with an 18-foot birdie make on No. 15 that elicited an emotional fist pump. The shot took him to 10 under and proved to be the winning margin over Schwartzel and Kim.
Quote of the day: “I’m 1-for-1 defending titles, so that’s a pretty good stat.” – Berger
Source: Internet
