Wire-to-wire win for Bowditch

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June 1, 2015

Steven Bowditch completed a comfortbale four-shot victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson on Sunday after leading from start to finish in Texas.

The Australian, who finished on 18-under, carded a final round four-under 65 to see off the challenge of Jimmy Walker, Charley Hoffman and Scott Pinckney. Local favourite Jordan Spieth was unable to mount a late charge for glory and finished eleven back.

Bowditch has lived in the Dallas area for more than a decade, and it seems only fitting that he would win his second title at the TPC Four Seasons. After all, it’s an area that has seen many highs and lows in the life of the 31-year-old; in 2006 he attempted suicide at his Dallas home, in 2014 he won his first PGA Tour title at the Valero Texas Open, and sandwiched in between he got married at the resort adjacent to the TPC Four Seasons in 2011. With any luck, Bowditch’s upward trend will long continue.

The New South Wales native didn’t have it all is way early on though, despite the weather finally playing ball and allowing play to start as scheduled.

After a birdie at the the first, Bowditch dropped shots at the third and fifth to see him slip to one-over for the round and briefly surrender the lead to Dustin Johnson. However, a birdie threes at the sixth and eighth got him back on track and he took the turn in 34.

Back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th eased any pressure that have been building as Hoffman and Walker tried to mount late charges, while a birdie at the par-three 17th on the back of another birdie at the 16th sealed the victory.

Hoffman will be left to wonder what might have been if he had gotten his final round moving earlier. The American racked up five birdies in seven holes from the 10th to the 17th, but having taken the turn in one-over 36, he was too far back to make an impact.

Walker and Pinckney bagged rounds of 66 to take a share of second with Hoffman, while seven birdies in a round of 63 moved Zach Jonhson to 13-under and fifth spot.

Despite an errant start which saw him miss the first four greens, Johnson still managed to grab birdies at the first and third to briefly eclipse Bowditch, but it all went horribly wrong for the American at the sixth hole.

After driving out of bounds on the right, Johnson returned to the tee and promptly found the long grass to the left of the fairway. After taking three swings to get his ball out, he would have to settle for a quadruple bogey, and his round never recovered.

Spieth could only muster a final round 60 to end in a tie for 30th. A 64 on Friday had seen Spieth sit just three back, but the Dallas native was unable to get anything going in a week when he wasn’t at his best.