Lee Hodges has maintained that he has nothing to lose by playing at TPC Twin Cities.
Hodges was 74th on the FedEx Cup standings when he entered the 3M Open at Blaine, Minnesota. The 28-year old had only two weeks until the start of the playoffs. It was now or ever for him to make a move.
He achieved this feat in record time.
Hodges won the 3M Open, his first PGA Tour championship, by winning wire-to-wire. He finished at 24-under 260 – a new 3M Open scoring record. He set 36- and 54 hole scoring records during the week and is now 33rd on the FedEx Cup rankings, just a few spots away from earning a place at East Lake in Atlanta for the Tour Championship.
Hodges, who set the record for scoring, said, “Yeah. Just icing on top, man.” “It’s been a dream from beginning to end. I could not be happier. Whatever accolades I received, I could not be happier.
“Honestly, I played great golf from Monday to Sunday, including in the practice rounds.” “I played really well golf from Monday to Sunday, even in practice rounds.”
Hodges led the field by seven strokes at one stage after shooting a 4-under-par 67 on Sunday. He was leading by five strokes going into the final round. J.T. Poston tripled his closing par 5 to tie him for second with Martin Laird, and Kevin Streelman at 17 under.
Hodges became the first player on the Tour to win the John Deere classic last year. Hodges’ 67 on Sunday was the worst round he had played all week. He still increased his lead due to Poston’s misfortune at the final hole. Poston lost $260,000 for a triple and T-2 finish, compared to a single second.
Hodges’ second eagle of the day was on the par-5 12, where he hit his approach shot from 257 yards to 3 feet. He rolled an 11-footer in on the par-5 6th for his first ever eagle. Both shots, he said, seemed to be things that occur when a golfer wins.
Hodges stated, “I had a perfect — I got the exact number the same both times in the exact wind.” “I only had to hold the little 3-wood.” It was 257 on both occasions. “I just had to lift it in the air, hold it and do it well.
As if it wasn’t enough, the second eagle effectively ended the tournament. Hodges had a 1 over average in the five holes in between eagles and his lead dropped from seven to five strokes in this time span. He had a six stroke lead with six more holes to go and cruised into the clubhouse.
Jay Seawell, the Alabama men’s coach of golf, flew to the Twin Cities Sunday to watch Hodges. Hodges played for the Crimson Tide between 2016-18.
Hodges stated, “I had no idea anyone else was coming except my agent.” “Everyone else was a complete surprise.” When I was about to putt, I saw him.
Beau Hossler’s round was the best of the day. He tied the scoring record for the tournament with a 9 under 62, which included eight consecutive birdies starting at No. 9-16. He finished the week with 13 under par after shooting 29 on the back 9.
Hossler jokingly said, “Honestly, it’s kind of weird to shoot that low on Sunday, and have no chance at all of winning the tourney.” “An unique experience, but I was very happy to shoot that low.”
Tony Finau, the defending champion, shot 1-under-70 on Sunday to finish T-7.
Hodges won the day, however, as he hit his drive on the 18th right and was forced to lay up. He hit a wedge on a slope just behind the flag, and almost holed his approach shot for a second eagle.
He chose to tap-in the par and then began his celebration.
Hodges stated, “My caddie told me on 18 that we will be playing Augusta next season. I didn’t think about it at all.” “That is something else. “That was the most amazing thing I’ve heard today.”
By: Cameron Jourdan
Title: Lee Hodges goes wire-to-wire at 3M Open to capture first PGA Tour title
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/07/30/pga-tour-lee-hodges-wins-2023-3m-open-leaderboard/
Published Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2023 21:53:10 +0000
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