Jeff Overton is quick to be thrilled with achievement
Reporting from Sheboygan, Wis. — Some will rip Jeff Overton for playing speed golf Sunday.
They will say he phoned it in — perhaps concerned about roaming charges — and didn’t care enough to shoot better than a seven-over-par 79, his worst score of the week by five shots.
But in this age of laborious pre-shot routines and five-hour-plus rounds, we applaud a man for completing 18 holes of a major in 2 hours 9 minutes, an unofficial PGA Championship record.
When the Associated Press’ Doug Ferguson gave Overton the news, the 27-year-old Indiana native replied: “Awesome! My first record at a major.”
According to the PGA of America, Phil Blackmar played the final round of the 1991 PGA in 2 hours 10 minutes.
Overton was first off the tee at 8:02 a.m. and played alone after Ian Poulter withdrew because of illness.
Although Overton finished last, in 71st place, he did not hurt his Ryder Cup status, making the U.S. team on points.
Bogey: Dustin Johnson. Rules are rules. And not grounding your club in a bunker is fundamental. The first rule listed on the PGA Championship’s “Supplementary Rules of Play” this week was this: “All areas of the course that were designed and built as sand bunkers will be played as bunkers (hazards), whether or not they have been raked.” As Johnson said: “Maybe I should have looked at the rules sheet a little harder.”
Birdie: Sixth hole. Is there anything cooler than a drivable par-4 that leaves the world’s top-ranked player muttering to himself? Tiger Woods drove into a bunker on the 332-yarder Sunday, blasted out over the green, pitched short, chipped long and made an 8-footer for bogey. Not that it serves as consolation, but playing partner Tim Clark did one worse, posting a 6.
Bogey: Rickie Fowler. He entered 17th on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list and will need a handout from captain Corey Pavin to make the team. Fowler made only one birdie Sunday, slumping to a 5-over 77, and tied for 58th.
Birdie: Sunday’s weather. So that’s what the sun looks like, huh?
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