JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mackenzie Hughes made birdie on his third time playing the 18th hole on Sunday, and it gave him a playoff victory over Sepp Straka in the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Hughes twice had to made tough par saves on the closing hole at the Country Club of Jackson, in regulation from 100 feet behind the green for a 3-under 69 to force a playoff and from a tough spot in a bunker to keep going.
Straka narrowly missed his birdie putt on the second playoff hole from 18 feet on the fringe. Hughes hit his approach to 8 feet and made the winning putt.
The victory comes one week after the Presidents Cup, and Hughes was disappointed not to be included on the International team at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he lives.
The 31-year-old Canadian wanted to use that as motivation, and it sure worked out that way. Hughes won for the second time on the PGA Tour, both in a playoff. His victory at Sea Island in 2016 didn’t finish until Monday morning, and this looked like it might be headed there with fading sunlight on the last hole they played.
Garrick Higgo of South Africa had a 68 and finished third.
LPGA TOUR
THE COLONY, Texas (AP) — Charley Hull ran off four birdies on the back nine for a 7-under 64 to win The Ascendant LPGA on Sunday by one shot.
Hull won for the first time on the LPGA Tour in nearly six years, and the 26-year-old from England crossed the $1 million mark in season earnings.
Xiyu “Janet” Lin of China roared into the mix with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th and then a 35-foot eagle putt at the par-5 17th. That gave Lin a share of the lead, but only until Hull made a 4-foot birdie to stay one shot ahead.
Lin’s birdie putt to force a playoff lost speed and missed just to the left. It was her third runner-up finish this year, and second in the last month. She wiped away tears when it was over.
Lydia Ko also was in the mix and was tied for the lead until missing a couple of birdie chances from inside 10 feet. She shot 65 and finished third, which moved Ko to the top of the Race to CME Globe standings.
Atthaya Thitikul, the 19-year-old from Thailand who needed a win to reach No. 1 in the women’s world ranking, shot 67 and finished alone in fourth. She moved ahead of Nelly Korda to reach No. 2.
EUROPEAN TOUR
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Ryan Fox closed with a 4-under for a one-shot victory in the Alfred Dunhill Links on Sunday and paid tribute to cricket great Shane Warne who had been his amateur partner in the event.
Fox made seven birdies against three bogeys on the Old Course at St. Andrews, and it was enough to hold off Callum Shinkwin (67) and Alex Noren (69) to win for the third time on the European tour.
The victory comes one week after the Presidents Cup in which the Kiwi was left off the International team despite being among the top 50 in the world. The victory moves him well inside the top 30 and is likely to send him to the Masters next year.
Fox was runner-up in the pro-am portion of the Dunhill last year while playing with Warne, the Australian cricket spinner who died earlier this year.
Rory McIlroy (66) finished in a tie for fourth, two shots behind, and remains atop the DP World Tour points list. Richard Mansell, who had the 54-hole lead, closed with a 76 and tied for seventh.
OTHER TOURS
Celine Borge birdied the final hole for a 9-under 63 and a one-shot victory over Hyo Joon Jang in the inaugural Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic on the Epson Tour. Borge moved to No. 5 on the points list and is on the verge of securing an LPGA Tour card for next year with only one tournament remaining. … Riki Kawamoto closed with a 2-under 69 and won the Vantelin Tokai Classic by one shot over Yuto Katsuragawa for his second Japan Golf Tour title in five weeks. … Shih-chang Chan of Taiwai captured his first Asian Tour title when he rallied from three shots behind with five holes to play, closed with a 3-under 69 and beat Rashid Khan of India on the second playoff hole in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. … Joel Sjöholm closed with a 5-under 67 for a three-shot victory in the Hopps Provence Open on the European Challenge Tour. … Minami Katsu rallied from a three-shot deficit by closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory over Jiyai Shin in the Japan Women’s Open. … Su Ji Kim closed with a 1-under 71 for a one-shot victory in the Hana Financial Group Championship, her second straight victory on the Korea LPGA. … Ruan Korb closed with a 9-under 63 and made up a seven-shot deficit on Ockie Strydom to win the Vodacom Origins of Golf on the Sunshine Tour.
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