Frittelli breaks PGA Tour duck to grab final Open spot
With one spot for the Open left at Deere Run, it was all to play for. Our John Deere Classic report has all the details…
John Deere Classic report: What happened at TPC Deere Run?
Dylan Frittelli claimed his first PGA Tour victory and booked his place in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush thanks to a final round of 7-under-par.
Calm. Cool. Collected.
The winning moment.@Dylan_Frittelli claims the @JDClassic. 🏆#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/xrdr6KCqJk
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 14, 2019
The South African made just one bogey through the entire week and reeled in overnight leader Andrew Landry to secure a two-shot victory.
Huge birdie putt for some breathing room.
Leader by 2.
1 hole left.@Dylan_Frittelli is cruising @JDClassic. pic.twitter.com/EYFGDmCGKg— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 14, 2019
Opening with three consecutive birdies, Frittelli was truly in the zone on Sunday and added a further four birdies to his card.
While those around him made birdie after birdie, Landry couldn’t really get things going on the final day and some mistakes leading to bogeys saw him struggle to keep pace with the eventual winner.
Not only is the 29-year-old now a PGA Tour winner but he has locked up his PGA Tour card through the 2020-21 season and clinched a spot in next year’s Masters, PGA Championship and Players Championship.
Tying the lead in style.@Dylan_Frittelli chips in.
The South African is seeking his first PGA TOUR win.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/DzM5Y6cV9D
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 14, 2019
Newly-turned pro Collin Morikawa, who challenged Matt Wolff for the 3M Open title last week, had another top 5 and this looks good enough to secure his card for next season. He hit every single green on Sunday and only missed four over the final three days.
Fellow rookie Viktor Hovland is still unsure of his immediate PGA Tour future and has an entry for the Wyndham Championship in which he will need a big finish to avoid heading to the Korn Ferry finals.
This is becoming the norm. 😳
Viktor Hovland's last three final-round scores on TOUR:
64
65
64#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/cpdEh56gWl— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 14, 2019
- Final leaderboard
- John Deere Classic prize money
- What’s in Frittelli’s bag?
- Who won on the European Tour?
John Deere Classic report: Talking points
The Open field is now complete, and barring any withdrawals we know exactly who will be competing for the Claret Jug.
With his first PGA Tour victory, Dylan Frittelli grabbed the final ticket into next week’s Open Championship.
A first-time PGA TOUR winner!
The 12th first-timer this season.
Congratulations, @Dylan_Frittelli.
He's won the 2019 @JDClassic. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KzrCUyCRP6
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 14, 2019
The South African will be play in his third consecutive Open having missed the cut in the previous two years.
Earlier today, three other players including Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston secured their tickets to Royal Portrush at the Scottish Open.
**
Phil Mickelson has been somewhat quiet on social media recently, but he’s back with an update.
The American hasn’t been playing his best stuff and has been away working on his body and his game in preparation for the Open.
And, there’s an update on what’s next for his Phireside chats series.
Let’s get real for a minute. I haven’t been my best and I’m doing all I can to get it right. I’ll have more Phireside chats soon as well as a fun new series too. Until then, HIT 💣’s pic.twitter.com/QrqUpThEeV
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) July 14, 2019
Join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Joe Hughes
Tour editor covering men's golf, women's golf and anything else that involves the word golf, really. The talk is far better than the game, but the work has begun to change that.
