Around the wider world of sports: Bernhard Langer did it again, winning the Senior Open Championship on the Champions Tour; Mi Hyang Lee tracked down Karrie Webb to win the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open on the LPGA/LET; Erynne Lee won the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship on the Symetra Tour; Jordan Smith won the Porsche European Open on the ET; Katsumasa Miyamoto won the Dunlop SRIXON Fukushima Open on the Japan Golf Tour; and Zecheng Dou won the Digital Ally Open on the Web.com Tour. And amateur Erica Shepherd won the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
I didn't realize that Canada was so much like Venezuela. But it must be, because Jhonny Vegas feels so at home there. The big guy went back-to-back, the first player ever to do so at the Glen Abbey course.
And it's not like plenty of other players didn't try to steal his thunder. Sam Saunders, Robert Garrigus, Kevin Chappell, Ian Poulter, Tony Finau, Gary Woodland -- it seemed like everybody thought they should be the winner, and each made a run at Vegas. Each one also fell short.
Everyone except Charley Hoffman, that is. The 54-hole leader was 0-for-3 in his previous 54-hole leads, but Sunday he came ready to make good on this chance. And unlike his past attempts he shot a 68, much better than any of his other final rounds as leader, despite Sunday's putter problems.
Trouble is, Vegas shot a 65. It was going to take extra holes to determine the winner. And on the first playoff hole Vegas put his drive in a fairway bunker but got lucky when his second shot hit the lip but still made it over the water and the green. He chipped up and tapped in for birdie.
Charley wasn't as lucky. After laying up on his second, he put his third in a greenside bunker and barely missed his birdie blast.
While Jhonny clearly feels at home in Canada, there's at least one big difference between our neighbor to the north and Venezuela. Perhaps his win will provide some cheer in his homeland, where they're struggling with massive political problems. I can only pray about that... but I can at least give Jhonny a Limerick Summary to commemorate his accomplishment.
Though the holes at Glen Abbey played tough,The photo came from this page at golfweek.com.
Even 72 weren’t enough!
Jhonny needed one more
To show Charley the door
And confirm his defense was no bluff.
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