August 11, 2024; Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Ryo Hisatune hits his approach shot on 1 during the fourth round of the Wyndham Championship golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club.
11:34 JST, August 12, 2024
Aaron Rai endured a marathon 36-hole final on Sunday to win the rain-swept Wyndham Championship, claiming his first PGA title after American Max Greyserman blew a four-stroke lead.
The 29-year-old Englishman made a birdie putt on the final hole from just over two metres in the twilight to secure victory in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“Unbelievable. A dream come true,” Rai said. “I’m so grateful. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. It’s a great achievement.”
Rai shot a bogey-free six-under-par 64 after shooting a 68 earlier in the third round, closing out 72 holes at Sedgefield Country Club with a score of 18-under-par 262.
That was good for a two-stroke victory over Greyserman, whose rollercoaster ride over four holes on the back nine in the fourth round ended in heartbreak.
“I had a four-stroke lead with five holes to go? When you do that in a PGA Tour event, you’re doing something exceptionally well, so that’s what I’m walking away with,” Greyserman said.
“Things happen. I just go out there with more confidence, look at the positives and learn from the mistakes.”
Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune and American JJ Spaun shared third place at 265 meters, with American amateur Luke Clanton one stroke behind.
A tropical storm dumped more than six inches of rain on the course on Thursday, halting play. The second round was scheduled to conclude early Sunday morning, with the final 36 holes scheduled to be completed at sunset.
Rai, who trailed for most of the day, made a 13-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th hole to move within two shots of Greyserman. Greyserman responded by hitting an eagle from the fairway from 270 feet on the par-4 13th hole to take a four-stroke lead at 21 under.
But the drama was far from over as Greyserman lost his entire lead on the next hole.
Greyserman hit his tee shot on the 14th hole off a path on the right side of a cart and was out of bounds. His third shot went into the rough on the left, his fourth into a bunker and he made a quadruple bogey, tying him with Rai at 17-under.
Greyserman made a tap-in birdie on the par-5 15th but followed it up with a four-putt bogey on the par-3 16th, missing twice from inside four feet to give Rai a one-putt lead.
Rai hit his 18th-hole approach just inside 6 feet and made the birdie putt for a two-stroke lead.
When Greyserman was unable to make a hole from the 18th fairway, Rai’s triumph was assured.
“I just did a good job of continuing to do what we do best,” Rai said. “It was great to finish it like that on 18.”
Rai has won twice on the DP World Tour: the Hong Kong Open in 2018 and the Scottish Open in 2020.
“I’m really happy with how well I did just doing what I normally do,” Rai said. “I felt a little nervous at times, but I’m really proud that I stayed focused and pretty present.”
Perez to the play-offs
The event was the final competition of the PGA regular season, with only the top 70 players in terms of season points advancing to the playoffs that begin next week.
The only player to secure a spot in the play-offs on Sunday was No. 70 Victor Perez of France.
“I knew I had to do something on this long day,” Perez said. “I felt like I played well.”
American Matt Kuchar, who did not finish the 18th hole due to darkness, will most likely not make the play-offs for the first time since the start in 2007.
No amateur has had more than three top-10 finishes in the PGA since Jack Nicklaus in 1961, but the 20-year-old Clanton earned his third on Sunday.
“That’s pretty cool,” he said. “It’s great to be here. Playing against the best players in the world, that’s pretty cool.”
Clanton played 39 holes on Sunday and will compete in the US Amateur starting on Monday.
