Davis rolls back the years

PGA Tour

IT WASN'T supposed to be like this. He won the Wyndham Championship in 1992, he won it again in 2006 and, unbelievably, when he should be focusing on his duties as US Ryder Cup captain, Davis Love III produced a stunning final round of 64 to win the tournament again, qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs and, at the age of 51, becoming the third-oldest winner of a PGA Tour event in the process.

All eyes were on Tiger Woods, who went into the final round just two shots behind the leader, Jason Gore. Woods had to win to make the playoffs and there were countless subplots at Sedgefield Country Club as players jostled to try to keep their cards in the season's final regular event. Woods' challenge came to grief with a triple-bogey seven at the 11th followed by a bogey at the 12th. Although he managed to pick up four birdies in the run-in, he came up well short. For Woods, the season is over, but there were enough signs to indicate that he just might be on the way back.

Highlights of Davis Love's incredible win

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bviF2PI3MuI

It is impossible to know what goes through a player's mind when, with the world watching, you have to grind it out in an attempt to keep your card. Gore had to finish second on his own to do so and advance to the playoffs. When he dropped shots at the 13th and 14th, his dream was in tatters. But then he came to the par-five 15th, where he struck a towering approach shot and then holed an 18-foot putt for an eagle. It took him to 16 under par, a shot behind Love.

He burned the edge of the hole on the 16th and 17th and came to the last requiring a birdie to force a playoff. A poor second shot left him a long putt for a birdie. More important, he could afford to take no more than two putts if he were to finish second on his own - a tie for second would not be good enough. Gore nearly holed it and was left with a tap-in and now advances to the playoffs.

Elsewhere, there was a mix of joy and heartbreak. Charl Schwartzel and Ryo Ishikawa both did enough. Jamie Donaldson, who started the week in 125th place (the top 125 move forward to the Barclays, the first of the four playoff tournaments), chose not to play here and duly missed out. Els will not be going to the Barclays either.

Spencer Levin shot a sparkling 63 to squeeze in - and boy was he delighted. But poor Scott Langley was beyond consolation - he birdied the 10th and 11th and was in, but then he dropped shots at the 13th, 14th, 15th and 18th and finished in 127th place. He loses his card and must now head to the Web.com Tour.

And while all of this was going on, Love was making serene progress. From the second to the sixth holes, he had four birdies and an eagle, and he added another eagle at the 15th. "Any victory at this age is sweet," said Love, who is 51 years and four months - only the remarkable Sam Snead and Art Wall were older when they won.

European Tour

In Europe, David Horsey won the Made In Denmark by two shots despite stumbling to a final round of 73.  He started the day one ahead of Australia's Terry Pilkadaris but by the time they had played seven holes, Horsey was trailing for the first time in 41 holes. But Pilkadiris dropped shots at the eighth and ninth and took a double-bogey at the 15th.

In the meantime, home hope Soren Kjeldsen was moving through the field. He reached the turn in 33 and by the time they reached the final hole Horsey was just one shot ahead. With a huge crowd cheering him on, Kjeldsen found a bunker off the tee and finished with a bogey, handing the title to Horsey.

Kjeldsen and Pilkadaris finished tied second with Kristoffer Broberg, of Sweden, who equalled the course record with a 62, and Daniel Gaunt.

US Amateur

Bryson DeChambeau won the US Amateur Championship when he beat Derek Bard 7&6 at Olympia Fields. DeChambeau, who will represent the USA in the forthcoming Walker Cup match against Great Britain and Ireland, also beat Paul Dunne, the Irishman who led The Open after three rounds, in the quarter-final. DeChambeau, who wears a Ben Hogan-style cap, played superb golf all week and adds the title to the NCAA title he won earlier this year. The 21-year-old is expected to turn professional after the Walker Cup. And a big future surely awaits him.