Lucas Herbert and Mark Hensby have produced clutch playoff shots under pressure to secure wins on the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR Champions respectively.
Less than 24 hours after Herbert made birdie from a bare lie on the second playoff hole at the ISPS HANDA Championship in Japan, Hensby out-lasted Korean Charlie Wi to take the Invited Celebrity Classic in Texas at the fourth extra hole.
A winner on both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR, Hensby had to birdie the final hole at Las Colinas Country Club to match Wi’s 12-under total. He blasted a 3-wood to the fringe of the par-5 closer and holed a four-footer to birdie to finish tied at the top.
His hopes looked sunk when his second shot at the first playoff hole bounced back into the water fronting the green but the Tamworth native made a superb up-and-down for par to extend the playoff to a second hole.
Hensby and Wi both made par the second trip down 18 before the pair moved to the par-3 17th for the third extra hole.
Wi again had the upper hand with a tee shot to 12 feet right of the hole, his birdie putt refusing to fall in from the right side as Hensby could only watch on.
A fourth playoff hole was needed where Wi failed to clear the water with his second to give Hensby the edge.
Rather than go for the green the 51-year-old played safely out to the left, his third shot to six feet all but sealing the deal.
After Wi three-putted from long range to make double bogey, Hensby used two of the three putts available to him to become the first Australian winner on PGA TOUR Champions since Rod Pampling in 2021.
It is the 35th win by an Australian on PGA TOUR Champions, joining Bruce Crampton (20), Graham Marsh (six), David Graham (five), Rodger Davis, Bruce Devlin and Pampling.
Playing on conditional membership, ten months ago Hensby announced that 2022 would be his last on tour. He has now secured his future with a two-year exemption and a winner’s category.
“After last year almost not playing anymore, coming out and having a goof start this year, it’s nice to obviously win on this tour,” said Hensby.
“When you win anywhere these days it’s an accomplishment. I didn’t have my best today but overall, obviously excited.”
Herbert too had to fight his way back to force his way into a playoff with Canadian Aaron Cockerill at the ISPS HANDA Championship.
An ISPS HANDA ambassador, Herbert played Round 1 sight unseen after travel delays en route from America. He leant on long-time caddie Nick Pugh all week, the pair completing a third DP World Tour victory with a birdie at the second playoff hole.
One of Herbert’s few wayward tee shots all week, the Victorian had a stroke of good fortune when his ball came to rest on a cart path right of the fairway. His free drop left him with a sand wedge off a bare lie from 129 yards, making crisp contact to leave himself a 10-foot putt for the win.
The right-to-left putt went in dead centre with perfect weight to clinch a return inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Minjee Lee had six birdies in her final 12 holes to finish as the leading Australian at The Chevron Championship in Texas, Cameron Smith earned a share of third at LIV Golf Adelaide and Rhein Gibson solidified his place inside the top five on the Korn Ferry Tour points list with a tie for eighth at the LECOM Suncoast Classic.
Results
Champions Tour
Invited Celebrity Classic
Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas
1 Mark Hensby 66-65-70—201 $US300,000
Won on the fourth hole of sudden death playoff
T4 Richard Green 70-68-65—203 $108,000
T11 Steven Alker (NZ) 69-69-70—208 $37,750
T11 Stuart Appleby 68-68-72—208 $37,750
T19 Rod Pampling 68-72-69—209 $23,657
T40 David McKenzie 68-73-71—212 $8,800
T65 John Senden 72-73-71—216 $2,140
DP World Tour
ISPS HANDA Championship
PGM Ishioka GC, Omitama, Japan
1 Lucas Herbert 67-63-68-67—265 €310,208.52
Won on the second hole of sudden death playoff
T23 Daniel Hillier 65-69-69-71—274 €18,156.32
T70 Brad Kennedy 65-72-71-78—286 €3,102.08
LPGA Tour
The Chevron Championship
The Club at Carlton Woods, The Woodlands, Texas
1 Lilia Vu 68-69-73-68—278 $US765,000
T41 Minjee Lee 70-75-77-69—291 $26,118
T49 Stephanie Kyriacou 68-76-76-73—293 $19,116
T56 Karis Davidson 70-72-75-79—296 $15,106
MC Sarah Kemp 76-71—147
MC Lydia Ko (NZ) 71-76—147
MC Grace Kim 75-73—148
MC Hannah Green 75-74—149
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Adelaide
The Grange Golf Club, Adelaide, South Australia
1 Talor Gooch 62-62-73—197 $US4m
T3 Cameron Smith 69-66-66—201 $1m
T21 Marc Leishman 71-69-65—205 $230,000
T24 Danny Lee (NZ) 67-71-68—206 $207,500
42 Matt Jones 72-73-69—214 $135,000
43 Jediah Morgan 76-71-68—215 $132,500
PGA TOUR
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana
1 Nick Hardy/Davis Riley 64-66-63-65—258 $1,242,700 each
MC Greg Chalmers/Cameron Percy 68-69—137
MC Geoff Ogilvy/Kevin Stadler 68-72—140
MC Aaaron Baddeley/Harrison Endycott 70-72—142
Korn Ferry Tour
LECOM Suncoast Classic
Lakewood National Golf Club (Commander Cse), Lakewood Ranch, Florida
1 Scott Gutschewski 67-66-62-68—263 $US180,000
Won on the first hole of sudden death playoff
T8 Rhein Gibson 69-67-64-66—266 $26,538
MC Brett Drewitt 72-68—140
MC Curtis Luck 72-72—144
Story: Tony Webeck| PGA of Australia