Luke Donald not only had a chance to take over the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking — instead, Lee Westwood moved back to No. 1 — he had a chance to move to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings with a win Sunday. Instead, Donald finished second and as a result is now No. 2 in the FedExCup standings behind Mark Wilson.
Brandt Snedeker, meanwhile, moved from 30th to seventh by winning at Harbour Town, where he closed with a 7-under 64 before beating Donald on the third hole of a playoff.
Congratulate Snedeker on his win
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Brandt Snedeker closed with a 64 Sunday at Harbour Town.
Brandt Snedeker shot a 7-under 64 then held off Luke Donald in a playoff to win Sunday at The Heritage. The win is the second of his career and first since 2007. Congratulate Snedeker on his victory here and we’ll pass your note along to him.
Snedeker beats Donald in playoff
It took a final-round 64, and three extra holes, but Brandt Snedeker finally won Sunday at The Heritage, where he rallied to beat Luke Donald in a playoff.
After both players matched each other shot-for-shot on the first two extra holes, Donald found the greenside bunker on 18 for a second time on Sunday. Only this time his ball was buried and he couldn’t stop it from rolling through to the fringe.
Snedeker, meanwhile, hit his approach pin high to 15 feet after and two-putted for par.
That meant Donald had to hole his shot from the fringe to force another extra hole. His putt lipped out, however, to give Snedeker the victory.
Snedeker, Donald in playoff
With the way some birdies were flying around Harbour Town and the way Luke Donald had played all week, it didn’t look like Brandt Snedeker’s 12-under total would hold up. But it did.
Luke Donald made just one birdie and two bogeys over his final 13 holes Sunday, shooting a 1-under 70 to finish regulation at 12 under and in tie with Snedeker, who shot 64.
The two will now head to a playoff beginning on the 18th hole, where Donald saved par from the greenside bunker to force extra holes.
PLAY-BY-PLAY OF PLAYOFF
5:55 p.m.: Snedeker and Donald just teed off on the 18th, where both players found the fairway.
6 p.m.: Donald hit from the fairway first and stuck his approach to inside 10 feet. Snedeker wasn’t to be outdone, though, and he hit it to nearly an identical distance.
6:03 p.m.: Donald didn’t disappoint. He calmly rolled in his birdie putt from just over 10 feet and Snedeker did the same. They’ll now head to No. 17.
6:08 p.m.: Snedeker led off on the par-3 17th, where he left his tee shot short and just right of the hole and near the edge of the green. Donald, meanwhile, switched clubs (to a 7-iron) and found the front bunker.
6:15 p.m.: Donald, being arguably the best bunker player in the world, hit out of the sand to just over 5 feet then sank the putt to save par. Snedeker, meanwhile, hit up to just inside Donald, and saved par as well. Both players will now go back to the 18th.
6:18 p.m.: Back on No. 18, Snedeker teed off first and found the fairway. Donald did, too, but he appeared to be distracted by a camera click and his shot came up a little short and right of where he expected it to.
6:22 p.m.: Donald’s tee shot was actually closer than the last time he played the 18th, but he left his approach in the bunker, where the ball buried a little bit. Snedeker, meanwhile, hit it hole high in the middle of the green but still 15 feet or so away.
6:30 p.m.: Not even Luke Donald could save himself from a buried lie in the bunker on the 18th. His shot from the sand came out hot and rolled well past the hole and nearly off the green. Snedeker then rolled his putt to tap-in distance for a par, while Donald’s putt lipped out to give Snedeker the win.
Snedeker clubhouse leader at 12 under
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Brandt Snedeker shot a 7-under 64 Sunday at Harbour Town.
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Brandt Snedeker posted a 7-under 64 Sunday at The Heritage, where he’s currently the leader in the clubhouse at 12-under 272.
Snedeker put himself in contention by shooting a 30 on the front nine, making six birdies and no bogeys. He had a couple of stumbles on the back, making bogeys at No. 13, where he missed his par putt from just inside seven feet, and No. 16, where he couldn’t get up and down from the bunker. But the Vanderbilt graduate hit his approach shot on the 18th hole to within 12 feet and rolled in the birdie putt.
Snedeker kept the ball in play (12 of 14 fairways) and kept hitting Harbour Town’s small greens (15 of 18). He needed only 11 putts on the front nine.
Snedeker, who had off-season hip surgery, is looking for his first PGA TOUR victory since the 2007 Wyndham Championship. Snedeker has had four top-10s this year, including fourth-place finishes at the Transitions Championship and the Valero Texas Open. He tied for 15th at the Masters.
Donald finally fails to birdie No. 9
The good news for Luke Donald is that he’s still tied for the lead as he makes the turn for the back nine at Harbour Town. The bad news is that he just failed to birdie the par-4 ninth hole for the first time all week, sliding his birdie attempt from just inside 10 feet past the hole.
As a result, Donald is 1 under on his round after three birdies and two bogeys. That’s the worst he’s played the front nine at Harbour Town all week.
Meanwhile, Donald’s co-leader, Ricky Barnes is 4 under through his first 10 with all his birdies coming in the first five holes.
Watch: Early highlights
Ricky Barnes didn’t waste any time moving into contention Sunday. He stuck his approach on No. 1 to set up this early birdie. Click here to watch
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
BARNES: The co-leader added to his score with this 22-footer for birdie. Click to watch
BRANDT SNEDKER: Snedeker capped his front-nine 30 with this birdie on No. 9. Click to watch
AARON BADDELEY: The Aussie chipped in for birdie on the par-5 second. Click to watch
Cink enjoys rare pairing
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — They only live about 15 miles away from each other in the northern Atlanta suburbs, but Stewart Cink and Jason Bohn rarely play golf together. Usually it only occurs when they’re paired at a PGA TOUR event, as they were Sunday at The Heritage.
“We play every week, don’t we?” Cink joked. “At least we talk about playing every week. But I think we’ve done only done it once.”
Logistics and family commitments make it tough. They’re not always off the same week and each man has a wife and two children, as well as off-the-course business demands.
“It’s not always easy to set aside basically a whole day,” Cink said. “But we’ll get together, maybe play East Lake one day.”
The two colleagues had casual conversations around the course and seemed to enjoy each other’s company. Their results were good, too, as each man shot 67. Cink finished the tournament at 4-under 280, while Bohn birdied four of the last six holes, including the difficult 18th, and finished at 281.
Cink changed his equipment this week, switching to a lighter shaft. The only clubs that didn’t change was the 3-wood and sand wedge. He was pleased with the changes, even though he wasn’t overwhelmed by his overall results.
Bohn was hoping the momentum he gained on Sunday will carry over to next week, when he defends his championship at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Snedeker makes turn in 30
If Luke Donald is going to win and reach No. 1 in the world and the FedExCp standings, he’s going to have to find a way to keep up with Brandt Snedeker, who just made the turn in 30 with seven birdies over his first nine holes.
That has Snedeker at 11 under for the tournament and just one shot back of Donald, who of course has an advantage having just teed off a little while ago.
In case you’re wondering, the course record at Harbour Town is a 61 by David Frost in the second round in 1994. He went on to tie for fourth.
Click here to follow the rest of Snedeker’s round live with Shot Tracker
Luke Donald not only had a chance to take over the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking — instead, Lee Westwood moved back to No. 1 — he had a chance to move to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings with a win Sunday. Instead, Donald finished second and as a result is …
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Tour Report: Donald moves to No. 2 in FedExCup (PGATOUR.com)