‘This is crazy’: Aussie star wins PGA thriller, left in tears after rival’s $2.5m meltdown

Australia’s Cameron Davis has won a PGA Tour thriller and was brought to tears after his rival’s brutal choke job.

Cameron Davis and Rocket Mortgage

A brutal twist on the 72nd hole has seen Australia’s Cameron Davis win a thrilling Rocket Mortgage Classic following a nervy five-way shootout on the final day.

The Sydneysider looked certain to be heading to a playoff against Akshay Bhatia on Monday morning with the pair locked at 18-under at the Detroit Golf Club.

Davis won in regulation, however, after Bhatia crumbled on the final green with a three-putt from no where.

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Bhatia safely made the green in regulation but left his first putt four feet short of the hole.

The American, who didn’t have a single three-putt for the entire tournament, lipped out his short, second putt to make bogey and lose to Davis.

The bogey was only Bhatia’s second dropped shot for the entire week.

Australia’s Cameron Davis won a thrilling Rocket Mortgage Classic following a five-way shootout on the final day.

It assured Davis’ 18-under was enough to take home the $2.5m top prize, three years after he won the same event, which was his sole win on the PGA Tour.

And it triggered emotional scenes from Davis who choked back tears in his post-round interview.

“This is crazy,” he said.

“I wouldn’t wish what happened to Akshay on anyone. But I’ve done a lot of grinding to get myself out of a hole and to all of a sudden do that, it’s pretty good.”

Akshay Bhatia crumbled on the final green with a three-putt from no where.

Davis had been suffering a poor stretch of form since his T12 at the Masters in April.

The 29-year-old’s best finish in his seven events since was a T38 at the Wells Fargo Championship, while he missed the cut at both the PGA Championship and US Open.

His win is the first time he’s even finished inside the top-10 of a PGA Tour event since the Shriners Children’s Open in October.

Speaking of his turnaround, Davis said: “I had a lot of support to get me out of the doldrums there.

“I saw a little bit of a spark last week but nothing to show this coming.

“I started working with a hypno-therapist a couple of weeks ago just to take another angle in trying to get myself sorted out. From where I was a couple weeks ago until today, just a completely different person.”

Davis opened up further about his work with a hypnotherapist while speaking to Australian media, explaining that he was starting to fall out of love with the game before seeing one.

He said that he has seen a “very big impact very quickly” since starting the work.

“I honestly haven’t been in a very good place mentally at all for the last six months or so,” he said. “I felt like all the opportunities have been slipping out of my hands as the year progresses without playing very good golf.

“I had a great week at the Masters and it feels like since then it all had just left me.

“I felt like a change of direction was definitely needed, something that I was actually going to

stick to because I’m definitely someone that will start doing something and if it doesn’t feel

like it’s helping straight away, it’s very easy to drop it.

“I felt a lot better last week even though the score didn’t show it, and to have it turn into this

this week is hard to believe really because I was not in a good place two or three weeks ago.”

Meanwhile, in defeat, Bhatia was almost lost for words, saying that “it sucks”.

“No other way to put it,” he added. “I mean, just sucks.”

Trying to explain his three-putt, he said: “Just a little bit of nerves, honestly. I’m human.”

Bhatia’s stumble also meant Australia’s Min Woo Lee shared a tie for second, along with Davis Thompson and Aaron Rai.

Each player pockets A$923,000.

Lee, however, will also be wondering what might’ve been after a cruel blunder of his own on the final hole.

After a lacklustre even-par front nine, Lee made birdies at No.10, 14, 15 and 17 — an explosive run that included his second chip-in birdie of the day.

Poised to take the solo clubhouse lead at 18-under, Lee overshot the final green, before an awkward, downhill third shot ran past the hole and off the green.

The rising star only narrowly missed another chip for par, forcing him to settle for a bogey, and tournament score of 17-under, one behind Davis.

Min Woo Lee’s charge stalled at the final hole.

Davis’ own final round was a two-under part 70, which came after a birdie putt from just outside four feet at the par-5 17th.

American Cameron Young, a seven-time PGA runner-up seeking his first title, was one off the pace before bogeys at 16 and 18 ended his bid.

Rai, chasing his first PGA title, fired a 72 but couldn’t close the gap down the final holes.

Davis opened with a three-putt bogey, but answered with a 20-foot birdie putt at the third, a 21-footer to birdie the par-3 fifth and a tap-in birdie at the par-5 seventh after finding a bunker to share the lead at 18-under at the turn.

Davis found a hazard at the par-5 14th and made bogey to leave Bhatia alone at the top until his birdie at 17.

Lee made a tap-in birdie at the par-5 14th then sank a 20-foot chip-in at the par-3 15th and chipped to inside four feet to set up a birdie at the par-5 17th to grab a share of the lead.

But Lee went over the green into deep rough at 18, pitched into rough on the opposite side of the green and even with a pitch inches from the hole took a closing bogey to fall one stroke short.

— With AFP

Originally published as ‘This is crazy’: Aussie star wins PGA thriller, left in tears after rival’s $2.5m meltdown