Jason Kokrak had every reason to believe that he shot himself out at the Houston Open on Saturday morning. He was 10 shots better Sunday afternoon when it was counted. He made four consecutive birdies for a 5-under 65, and a two shot victory.
With six holes remaining, Kokrak was two shots behind and Kokrak made all the right shots. He was able to win against Martin Trainer and Scottie Scheffler for the third time in 13 months.
Kokrak declared, “Very Blessed to be Standing Here.”
Kokrak couldn’t help thinking back to Saturday morning, when Kokrak returned to finish the second round and headed in the opposite direction. He played seven holes in 7 over par for a 41, leaving him 10 strokes behind after 36 holes.
Kokrak stated, “I tried to not let that bug me.” “I knew that I was playing some very good golf. I was playing really well in certain spots and really badly in others. So I tried to limit my mistakes, and just try to plot my way through the course. To limit my mistakes, all I did was hit the green or putter in my hand.
“So that was the club which really saved me this past week.”
It was a remarkable turnaround on Sunday.
Kokrak made a 12-foot birdie on the 13th hole to get in the mix. He then made a 25 foot birdie on the 14th hole to get within one shot. To tie the lead, he hit wedge on the 15th hole at 115 yards with a front pin of 6 feet.
He had so much mud on his golf balls from the rain earlier this week that he chose not to lie down on the par-5 16th. Kokrak hit wedge to five feet for a fourth straight par.
He was now on his way, and he finished the tournament at 10-under-270.
Scheffler, aiming to win his first PGA Tour title, was leading by two shots when he turned the corner. Scheffler was chasing his first PGA Tour victory, and he didn’t hit a regulation green until the 15th. Three soft bogeys left him too far behind for a late run.
Scheffler made a long two-putt birdie at the 16th to stay within three shots. He also nearly drove the green at the par-4 17th but hit a pedestrian chip and failed to make birdie. He birdied the last hole for a 69, tied for second with Kevin Tway (68).
“I saw Jason make a little move there on his back nine. Scheffler said, “I just tried my best to stay in the ball.” “I wasn’t swinging my best today on the back nine. Outside of that, I gave myself opportunities, just wasn’t able to hole enough putts. An odd break here or there that maybe goes my way and it’s a little different story.”
Trainer, who was making his ninth cut in 71 starts after his win in the 2019 Puerto Rico Open, took control of the 11th hole with a 70-foot birdie across green. He then calmly saved par with an eight-foot putt.
However, he couldn’t make up the difference on the scoring holes. He took a par on the 14th, and then fell back for good with pars on his final two holes to score a 70.
Matthew Wolff was one six players who had at most a share in the lead during the opening hour. Scheffler’s final round saw five players within one shot of Scheffler.
He made bogeys and fell back, then made a hole in one with a 9 iron on the par-3 ninth to get back in the mix. But it was only briefly.
Kokrak made 232 starts on PGA Tour before his first win. He now has three wins in his last 27 starts, dating back to October’s CJ Cup at Shadow Creek north Las Vegas. He also won at Colonial this spring.
He climbs to No. 22 in the global ranking.
To complete his second round on Saturday morning, he shot 41 on the back nine. It was cold and he didn’t have his best stuff. Kokrak shot 31 on Sunday afternoon and was unbogey.
He said, “I made some putsts.” “That’s what kept it in me.”
Source: Fox News
