Lahiri finishes at T-59 as Mitchell beats big names for maiden win
Palm Beach (USA): Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri had a forgettable final day with a five-over 75 to finish a disappointing tied-59th at the Honda Classic here on Monday.
After being in the running for a decent finish with rounds of 67, 70 and 71, Lahiri stumbled on the final day for a total of three-over 283. The two birdies on the second and third holes were Lahiri's only bright spots of the day. On the Par-4 second, he reached the green in two but had a 35-footer for birdie and he rolled it in.
On the next hole, Lahiri had an 11-footer for an eagle following a great second shot. He failed to make it but still managed a birdie. That was the last of the gains he had and he made five bogeys and an eagle in all. Keith Mitchell rolled in a 16-footer for a winning birdie, which left Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler in tied-second place, despite finishing with birdies.
Mitchell ended with a total of nine-under and Koepka and Fowler were at eight-under.
Vijay Singh, playing in the final group of the day with 54-hole leader Wyndham Clark and bidding to become the oldest winner ever on the PGA Tour, managed only an even par 70 and ended tied-sixth.
Both Koepka and Fowler had some late birdies, but Mitchell managed to hold on for a maiden PGA Tour win.
Mitchell had a superb back nine, as the competition was a real close one. He birdied 12th and 13th and added one more on the 15th. Then came the clincher, the big birdie from almost 16 feet under pressure for a well-deserved win.
Ryan Palmer, who teed off more than four hours ahead of the lead group, shot 7-under for a 63 and rose from T-39 to the clubhouse lead. As the day wore on, Palmer was joined by Lucas Glover (66) and then overtaken by Mitchell, Koepka and Fowler. Koepka handled the treacherous Bear Trap as he birdied 16th and then his two-putt birdie on 18th took him past Palmer and Glover. Fowler had three birdies in his last
four holes but he too reached only eight-under. It was a great finish but like Koepka he came up short.