Webb Simpson sank a nine-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to defeat fellow American Chez Reavie and capture the US PGA Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday. Simpson, whose only prior PGA title came two weeks ago at Greensboro, birdied his last three holes to take the crown, dropping a 26-footer at the 18th in regulation and a 15-footer on 18 in the playoff to set up the winner.
“It was great,” Simpson said. “To finish the way I did, birdies on 18 and then birdie 17, it was awesome. “I thought winning the second time would be easier but it wasn’t.”
Reavie, whose only PGA title came at the 2008 Canadian Open, could only wonder what might have been after taking a bogey on the final regulation hole to fall into the playoff. Simpson and Reavie each finished 72 holes on 15-under par 269 after Simpson sank his long birdie putt on the par-5 18th to finish a round of 65 and then watched as Reavie botched his chance to win in regulation.Reavie laid up short of the 18th green and lofted his sand wedge approach over the green. He missed a 12-foot putt for his first bogey in 30 holes to finish on 66 and fall into the playoff.
“Unfortunately, my wedge didn’t quite work out,” Reavie said. “I’m going to make a 5 there nine times out of 10. But all in all on the day, I played fantastic.” On the first extra hole, a replay of 18, both players blasted out of greenside rough and sank birdie putts, Simpson’s a pressure-packed 15-footer and Reavie’s from three feet, to continue the playoff. The second playoff hole, the 17th, saw Reavie miss a 23-foot birdie putt to set the stage for Simpson’s winning putt. Simpson won the $1.44 million top prize from the $8 million event, the second tournament of the US PGA season-ending playoff series, and seized the overall playoff points lead. The top 70 players in points advanced to the BMW Championship in two weeks at Cog Hill near Chicago, where only the top 30 in points will qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship the following week in Atlanta. World No. 1 Luke Donald of England shared third on 271, two strokes adrift, with Masters co-runner-up Jason Day of Australia and American Brandt Snedeker.
