Daniel Berger Edges Out Phil Mickelson To Win In Memphis

DANIEL BERGER survived a wobble and a three-hour rain delay to secure his first PGA Tour victory, beating Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Steve Stricker to land the St Jude Classic at TPC Southwind.

The 2015 Rookie of the Year finished three shots ahead. It sounds comfortable enough, but it was hard work for the 23-year-old, who twice finished runner-up last season.

Berger made a stumbling start, dropping a shot at the first, having to hole from 10 feet for par on the second and missing out on a birdie at the par-five third when he three putted. Up ahead, Koepka picked up a couple of early birdies. Berger had started the day three ahead but went to the fourth leading Koepka by a single shot.

Koepka joined Berger when he birdied the seventh and with both men tied on nine under they suddenly found themselves one ahead of Dustin Johnson - he dropped a shot at the third but birdied the seventh, ninth, 10th, 12th and 15th and eagled the 16th to move to eight under, level with 49-year-old Stricker.

Berger moved back in front when Koepka duffed a chip at the eighth to drop a shot. A 20-foot putt for birdie at the sixth got Berger back to 10 under, where he started the day, two ahead of Johnson, Koepka and Stricker.

Johnson proved there is more to his game than sheer power when he holed a delightful chip for birdie at the 18th for a round of 63 and a nine-under-par finishing total. He played the back nine in 29 shots.

Mickelson joined the group on eight under with a birdie at the eighth but gave it straight back at the next when his approach found the water. Birdies at the 10th, 12th and 16th helped him to a 67.

But Koepka got his challenge back on track when he began the back nine with a birdie. It appeared that the turning point came when Berger birdied the ninth hole to move to 11 under just as Koepka was flying the 12th green, with his ball ending up in a water hazard. He came home in 33 for a 66.

Berger dropped a shot at the 10th but regrouped in superb fashion to pick up birdies at the 12th, 14th and 15th, meaning that he was able to play the last three holes in relative comfort. He shot a final round of 67 for a 13 under par winning total of 267.

"To get it done today means a lot," Berger said. "To do that with so many great players, Hall of Famers behind me, it's something that I'll never forget and I just love the way I hung in there and was able to get it done."

He said that he will now head to Oakmont for the US Open in confident mood. "When I played in The Masters for the first time in April I finished 10th, five shots behind and didn't really play that great," Berger said. "So, you know if I can go in there next week and play good, then obviously I have what it takes to get the W."

Mickelson will head to Oakmont knowing that he has to find more fairways if he is to have any chance at all of winning the US Open after six times finishing second. The American's short game is in sensational shape - he took fewer putts than anybody else in the field and produced his useful bucketful of unbelievable recovery shots - but his driving was awful, finding fewer than one fairway in two.

He knows as well as anybody that there are two keys to scoring well at Oakmont - an ability to hole out and a requirement to drive the ball straight. If he misses the short stuff at Oakmont he simply won't be able to score.

"For the most part I hit a lot of good shots, played pretty well and it almost feels like the US Open came a week early to finish another second place," Mickelson said.

Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpdAB644jvY

Lyoness Open

ASHUN WU became the latest Asian golfer to win on the European Tour when he added the Lyoness Open to the Volvo China Open title he secured last year.

As the face of tour continues to change, the 30-year-old joined fellow Chinese golfers Soomin Lee and Haotong Li and South Korea's Jeunghun Wang in the winner's circle after a final round of 69 gave him a 13-under-par total and a one-shot victory in Austria.

Spain's Adrian Otaegui finished second on 12 under, with Englishman Richard McEvoy a further stroke back after dropping his only shot of the day at the 18th.

Beginning the day one behind overnight leader Zander Lombard, Wu opened his round with a birdie at the first to join the South African at the top of the leaderboard. He took the outright lead on his own when he birdied the third, and despite hitting a tree with his second shot, he made a remarkable birdie at the fourth to extend his advantage to two strokes.

Wu dropped a shot at the fifth but finished his back nine with a flourish, carding back-to-back birdies from the eighth to move to 14 under par and go three clear.

Then the wheels threatened to fall off. After taking a penalty drop when his second shot went over the back of the green, Wu carded a double bogey at the tenth to slip to 12 under and see his lead over McEvoy and Otaegui cut to one shot.

Worse was to follow when he missed an eight-foot par putt at the 11th to create a three-way tie at the top, before slipping into second place when McEvoy birdied the 13th.

A birdie at the 13th moved Wu back into a share of the lead before another gain two holes later saw him stand alone at the top of the leaderboard.

Otaegui birdied the 16th to join Wu at the top but after the Spaniard dropped a shot at the next, pars at the final three holes were enough for Wu to win his second European Tour title.

James Morrison, of England, continued his fine season, finishing fourth on 10 under. He had  seven birdies and three bogeys in a 68, while Lombard's 74 saw him finish fifth on nine under.

Last year's champion Chris Wood prepared for the US Open with a 68 for a share of sixth place.

Wu was delighted. He said: "I am very happy right now. At the 10th and 11th holes I played two bad shots. I still kept working after that to do my best to make birdies and I did that.

“It’s been my first time playing in Austria and the course was very good this week. The sponsors have been great and I have had some Chinese friends here supporting me so I must thank them all.”

Ashun Wu ‘In the Bag’

Ball – Srixon Z-Star XV4

Driver – Srixon Z-Series Prototype

Irons – Srixon Z745 (PW – 4)

Wedges – Cleveland Golf RTX 2.0 (54 & 58)

Glove – Srixon

Hat – Srixon