28 February 2022: Daniel Berger went to bed on Saturday, resting his head on a five-stroke cushion over the field. Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry were standing at a respectful distance, as the king rested easy. But in an incredible reversal of fortunes, the tide turned on a coin at the start of Sunday, setting up a thrilling finish to the Honda Classic. Berger came out and starting bleeding soon after.
By the time Berger went past of a third of the PGA National, the lead evaporated like moisture in the sizzling sands of a Saharan desert. Lowry and Straka lay in wait, nudging each other, before the latter stole a march with a sensational finish with birdies at the 14th, 16th and 18th holes for a one shot victory.
Lowry made a third straight 67 to finish the week in second at 9-under 271. Straka collected his maiden PGA TOUR victory with a crisp unblemished final nine holes, taking just 32 strokes to secure glory. Berger finished in fourth at 7-under, one behind the first round leader Kurt Kitayama.
“It’s crazy,” Straka said. “It’s a lifelong dream of mine just to be heading to Augusta in a month or so. It’s still surreal. I’m sure it’ll sink in here before long, but yeah, it’s just crazy.”
Crazy indeed.
Straka, an Austrian, was tied for the lead as he arrived at the imposing 18th hole. Undeterred by the daunting prospect of success, he striped a 334 yard drive before quietly nudging his six-iron over 192 yards to the green. Showing no signs of nerves, Straka left himself a tap in birdie to draw himself ahead of Lowry.
The Northern Irishman found himself on the wrong side of a rain shower, dealing with the left rough as he laboured his way to the green with an iffy third shot. Lowry needed to make a 43-footer to force a playoff but found his ball hanging well short. Despite a bogey free 67, he had to settle for second behind Straka.
“I was ready for anything out there today,” Lowry said. “I feel like mentally, I’m very good at the minute. And yeah, before I knew it, I was leading the golf tournament. It was great. I really enjoyed it. Quite nerve-wracking.”
Berger’s tournament dissipated very quickly on Sunday. He conceded four strokes over the first six holes, including a double at the par-5 third hole and never quite found what he needed to push for a win. He made a birdie from the bunker on the par-3 seventh and chipped in for another birdie on the 14th hole. But those moments were mere solace, in the face of some fiercely determined golf from Lowry and Straka.
“I didn’t play well, so I didn’t win the golf tournament,” Berger said, matter of fact. “That’s unfortunate, but I actually felt good. I just didn’t hit the shots that I needed to at the right time.
“That’s the way golf goes. There are plenty of guys that hit great shots today, and that’s why they’re winning golf tournaments.”
Final Leaderboard
Sepp Straka 71-64-69-66—270 (-10)
Shane Lowry 70-67-67-67—271 (-9)
Kurt Kitayama 64-69-71-68—272 (-8)
Daniel Berger 65-65-69-74—273 (-7)
Leading Asian Scores
C.T. Pan 70-70-71-69 – 280 (E, T16)
K.H. Lee 70-72-69-73 – 284 (+4, T48)
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