To earn his first PGA Tour victory on Sunday at the Safeway Open, Kevin Tway had an uphill battle, entering the final round three shots back of leader Brandt Snedeker. After bogeying two of his first four holes, the task became virtually impossible.
But Tway remained steady, slowly creeping his way back up the leader board and getting some much needed help from Snedeker, who looked completely lost down the stretch. By the time Tway had reached the 17th tee, even without his A-game, the 30-year-old son of eight-time PGA Tour winner and major champion Bob Tway, still had an opportunity to win the tournament. Two clutch birdies on the 17th and 18th holes gave him a one-under 71, enough to get into a three-way playoff with Snedeker and Ryan Moore at 14-under 274. Tway kept it rolling in sudden death, making birdie on all three playoff holes to claim his maiden tour title.
Moore came up big late in his round as well, grabbing birdies on three of his final four holes to put him in position for a sixth career victory. But his birdie effort on the third playoff hole stopped inches short of the cup, opening the door for Tway to win with a birdie. The T-2 finish is Moore’s first since the 2016 Tour Championship, where he also lost in a playoff just six weeks after winning the John Deere Classic.
As for Snedeker, this loss will sting, especially considering he had lead the tournament by five strokes at one point on Sunday. His T-2 finish is his fifth inside the top eight in his last 11 events.
Source: golfdigest.com