"What are they gonna say now?" Zalatoris exclaimed as he got that much closer to his first PGA Tour Championship.
It ended up taking three playoff holes, with the final one bordering on the bizarre, for Zalatoris to outlast Sepp Straka to become the St. Jude Classic Champion, the first title to come his way after a string of four career second-place finishes.
"It's kind of hard to say 'about time' when it's just your second year on the tour, but about time," Zalatoris said. "Obviously this week was kind of a grind, considering the start that I had. I love this golf course and played well here last year.
"Considering all the close finishes I've had this year, to finally pull it off really means a lot."
Things got a bit odd on the third playoff hole, the par-3 11th hole at TPC Southwind in Memphis. The Zalatoris tee shot came short of the green to the left and bounced several times on a facade between a water hazard and grass, but never got wet. Straka followed and saw his ball follow much the same flight, only to eventually bounce off the same facade and splash in the water.
The Zalatoris shot, as it turned out, was lodged between the facade and tall grass such that any shot had the potential of ricocheting backward into the hazard. He and his caddy studied the potential shot for several minutes before walking to the drop zone to continue.
"When it landed and I saw it bounce a few times, then heard the crowd cheer, I knew I got a pretty fortunate break," Zalatoris said. "But I couldn't get the club on the ball. There was no reason for me to try that shot, and it could bank right into the grass and into the water, and all the sudden I've lost the tournament. We went back to the drop zone and obviously it paid off.
"I knew I wasn't going to take the shot, but I at least wanted to take a peek at it. I wanted to make sure I wasn't giving up an easy chance to just win with an easy two-putt, but it just wasn't doable. I couldn't get the club below basically half of the equator of the ball."
Straka's shot from the drop zone flew over the green into a bunker, while Zalatoris was able to drop a shot to give himself a seven-foot putt for the victory.
"This is why we practice," Zalatoris said. "This tournament has been here for 60 years. This tournament has some history to it. Every week we're out there, there's some story of history, and I've wanted to chase history my entire career. That's why I've been so vocal about the majors and why it's so great to get the first win out of the way."
Zalatoris said the close calls just continued to make him a better golfer.
"Anytime you put yourself in contention, you're going to learn about yourself," he said. "The first second-place finish I had at the Master's was life-changing, because it put me in position to play out here as much as I wanted to and it put me on the map. The second, at the PGA, kind of showed that it wasn't a fluke week performance.
"Then the third one at the US Open gave me that much more belief that I can win a major and I can win out here. It was just a matter of time, and this was my week. It still hasn't hit yet. I think I've always had the attitude that the job isn't done. It's obviously very satisfying."
What are they gonna say now?
"I did say that," Zalatoris said. "I'm a Warriors fan and Steph (Curry) has been an inspiration. When he said that I kind of related to my journey so far, in being so close. I was written off here and there. I actually can't believe I said that. At least it wasn't something worse.
"Last fall was a pretty rough period for me. Being hurt through the middle of the season last year, I got frustrated with where my game was at. From the PGA forward has been kind of a new season."
"now" - Google News
September 21, 2022 at 09:57PM
https://ift.tt/qcLKXr6
What Are They Gonna Say Now - Wake Forest University Athletics - Wake Forest Athletics
"now" - Google News
https://ift.tt/GCJdcsK
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "What Are They Gonna Say Now - Wake Forest University Athletics - Wake Forest Athletics"
Post a Comment