Hietala wins Cox Classic in a playoff
OMAHA, Neb. – Warren Buffett, also known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” is the world’s richest man. Ryan Hietala has a long way to go to reach that pinnacle but the $126,000 winner’s check from the Cox Classic will help.Hietala (69) defeated David Branshaw (73) on the first extra hole of a sudden death playoff with a par to Branshaw’s bogey after both players tied at 19-under.
Skip Kendall (64), a native of Milwaukee, WI, shot the low round of the day, and his lowest round of the year, to finish in a tie for third with Garth Mulroy (69) and Alex Prugh (67) at 16-under.
Six players tied for sixth at 15-under.
After both players had scored sub-par front nines, Branshaw was making back-to-back bogeys on hole Nos. 10 and 11, while Hietala, in the group ahead, was doing the same at the 11th and 12th. A third consecutive bogey by Branshaw at the 12th, when he three-putted from 40 feet, dropped him to 20-under, one stroke ahead.
Hietala two-putted the par-5 17th hole for birdie at precisely the same time Branshaw made bogey at No. 16 and the two were tied for the lead at 19-under. That’s where they finished after Branshaw managed to two-putt from 100 feet at the final hole.
Both players found the fairway at the first extra hole. Branshaw played first and hit his approach over the green into some thick rough. Hietala punched a 5-iron from a divot, pin high, 30 feet right of the hole. Branshaw played a majestic pitch from a downhill lie in the rough to five feet. After a perfect lag putt, then a miss by Branshaw, the title went to the big man from Boise, ID.
“David played fantastic and to see his five-footer miss – you never root against anybody – but I can’t believe it,” said Hietala, who has not had a top-10 finish since his last victory at the 2005 Chitimacha Louisiana Open.
“Hats off to my putter this week,” added Hietala. “My putting was off the charts.”
Hietala thinks he knows the reason he won.
“I’ve roomed with Chris Anderson all year,” said Hietala. “We haven’t had good years lately. Chris lost in a playoff at the $1 million event in Virginia and he kept saying ‘You’re next, you’re next.’ Three weeks later, here we are.”
Hietala, whose combined PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour career earnings now total $492,704, jumped from 148th to 26th on the money list, just outside The25 who earn a trip to the PGA Tour.
“There’s no lead large enough.” Those were the words spoken by 54-hole leader, David Branshaw, on Saturday evening and they turned out to be prophetic.
“I just hate to lose,” said a disappointed Branshaw. “I don’t know if it was a learning experience. I held back a lot and didn’t take many chances.”
Branshaw jumped from 37th to 15th on the money list and now has $175,961. Another good finish should secure a berth on the PGA Tour next year.
Prugh, a 23-year-old rookie from Spokane, WA, had his previous career-best finish last week at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational where he tied for 6th.
Vance Veazey (74), playing in the final pairing in his 210th Nationwide Tour event, double-bogeyed the 15th hole when his tee-shot landed in deep rough and couldn’t be found. His slide continued with a bogey at the next hole and finished tied for sixth.
Jarrod Lyle (72) finished tied for 51st and retains his No. 1 spot on the Nationwide Tour money list, with $293,366 for the sixth consecutive week and 14th week this season.
Final Round News & Notes: The Cox Classic trophy was delivered to the winner on the 18th green via a Nebraska National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter…Mike Wendling(66), a 35-year-old rookie from Oklahoma City, who was one of six players to make it to the final stage of Q-School after beginning the process in a pre-qualifier, tied for 18th, his career-best finish…Ben Bates(74-70-MC) played his 372nd Nationwide Tour event this week, a Nationwide Tour record…Garth Mulroy scored an eagle on the 312 yard, par-4 9th hole for the second consecutive day…It is the fourth time the Cox Classic was decided by a playoff…The final round scoring average was 68.730 while the scoring average for the week was 69.633...The most difficult hole for the week was No. 2 while the week’s easiest hole was No. 17...The Nationwide Tour heads to Wichita, KS for the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open, the 21st of 30 events this season, where Brad Elder won last year with 265, 19-under-par, two strokes off the Tournament record set by Ben Crane in 2000.
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