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Redemption for Brendan Steele at the Safeway Open

By: Golfshake Editor | Sun 16 Oct 2016


Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements


IT'S a funny old game. Just 12 months ago Brendan Steele was in despair after five bogeys in seven holes during the final round saw the 54-hole leader throw away his chance to win the Safeway Open, and he had to look on as Emiliano Grillo stepped up to win his first PGA Tour title.

This time it is Patton Kizzire who is left to reflect on what might have been after Steele grabbed the title from him at the death. Kizzire looked for all the world like the tournament winner when he struck a magnificent iron to 12 inches at the par-three 11th to take a two-shot lead. Up ahead, Steele's challenge seemed to have come off the rails when he three-putted the 12th for a bogey.

“I thought that was it for me," Steele said. "I thought I would have to do something special. Last year, I tried not to make mistakes.”

Steele began the final round four shots behind Kizzire but finished with three straight birdies at a rain-drenched Silverado in California for a seven-under 65 and won by one shot over Kizzire with an 18-under-par total of 270. It was Steele's first victory in 141 starts on the PGA TOUR dating to his rookie season when he won the Valero Texas Open.

“This is a little bit of redemption from last year," Steele said. "It's nice to close it off this way. "You don't often get that chance in life to redeem yourself in the same way at the same place."

Steele hit a two iron onto the green at the par-five 16th for a two-putt birdie, holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the 17th and then he hit wedge into the par-five 18th and holed the seven-foot putt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPNM0rsj59g

Kizzire drove left into the base of trees on the16th and had to chip out sideways, making a 15-foot par save from the bunker. With a wedge on the 17th, he left it short and watched it spin back off the green, forcing him to save par again. He had to birdie the final hole to force a playoff but missed the fairway, had to lay up and then missed the green with his approach and failed to hole the chip.

“You've got to really make something happen, especially when the conditions are soft," Steele said. "I wanted to be aggressive and I didn't want to just kind of coast in and just make sure that I had a decent week.”

Johnson Wagner was there or thereabouts on the back nine but finished with eight pars and tied for third with Paul Casey (69), Michael Kim (67) and Scott Piercy (70). Scotland's Martin Laird finished in a tie for eighth place.

Englishman Casey is enjoying an astonishing run of form in which he has finished no worse than fourth in his last four tournaments dating to the FedExCup Playoffs. “So close, isn't it?" Casey said. "I mean, I played great. I had another wonderful week.” But that long-awaited victory continues to elude him.

Steele, who finished at 18-under 270, won for the first time since the anchored stroke for long putters was outlawed at the start of the year. “My putting coming down the stretch was really the most important thing and definitely some wedge play," Steele said. "I've been working on some stuff with Dave Pelz that really helped me with the soft conditions taking spin off the ball and really controlling my numbers.”

 


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Tags: PGA Tour



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