Marc Leishman, of Australia, watches his drive on the 10th hole during Sunday’s final round of the Travelers Championship tournament in Cromwell, Conn. (AP photo/Fred Beckham)
More than two hours later, after Charley Hoffman blew a two-stroke lead on the final two holes, Leishman was hoisting his first championship trophy on the PGA Tour.
“I think Charley was on the 15th when I turned the golf on,” Leishman said.
“I watched that, then just went over and hit some balls and putted for a bit and it turned out well.”
The 28-year-old Australian began the day six strokes behind the leaders, but made eight birdies in a bogey-free round.
He finished at 14-under 266.
“I didn’t think it was going to be enough,” he said. “Golf is a funny game, a really funny game.”
Hoffman was 16 under heading to the 17th hole, but pushed his tee shot right and into the water.
He made a double bogey on the hole, and bogeyed the 18th after failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker.
“When it’s said and done, obviously a bad finish and a bad taste in my mouth, but you learn from it,” he said.
“Any time you put yourself in contention, you learn from that.”
Hoffman closed with a 66 to tie for second with Masters champion Bubba Watson, who shot a 65.
Dalton native Blake Adams, who has family ties in Rome, finished eight shots behind the leader.
Leishman became the fifth player in seven years to break through with their first tour win at River Highlands, joining Fredrik Jacobson last year, Watson in 2010, Hunter Mahan in 2007 and J.J. Henry in 2006.
Leishman’s 62 was the lowest score in a final round by a champion on tour this season.
“You’d almost rather make a few birdies coming in to win, rather than have someone hand it to you,” he said. “But having said that, I’m not going to give this back or anything.”
Hoffman seemed to be in command standing on the 17th tee, and still had a chance to win on 18. He put his tee shot onto a hill to the right and he put his second shot into the bunker. He ran that shot long and missed a 17-foot par putt.
Watson made a run at the lead on the front nine, with four birdies. But he had to scramble on the back nine, saving par on the 15th after putting his tee shot in the water. He also made par on 17 after hitting his second shot over the water and onto the green from the rough.
“Just didn’t finish it off on the back,” he said. “I made my run and just didn’t kind of really have anything after that.”
“I was just trying to give myself as many chances as I could,” he said. “It was nice to have a couple of tap-in birdies.”
Leishman’s win gave him just his second top-10 finish this season. He didn’t play in Memphis or at the U.S. Open and said he came back after two weeks off refreshed.
“I practiced I think two times in the three weeks,” he said. “It’s been close for a while actually. I just get a little bit streaky with the putter, and I haven’t been lately.”
Roland Thatcher, who was tied for the lead after three rounds, began his day with three bogeys on the first six holes. He seemed like an afterthought, until Hoffman’s collapse. But he made an eagle on the par-5 13th after hitting his second shot within 15 feet of the pin.
He came up 18 with a chance to force a playoff, but put his second shot into a greenside bunker and bogeyed the hole.
“You never want to take the lead going into Sunday and then need two birdies on the last two holes to catch up,” he said.
He and fellow co-leader Brian Davis both shot 70, putting them in a group at 12 under with Tim Clark and John Rollins.
Clark, who won the 2010 Players Championship, had elbow surgery last August and had missed the cut in five of the previous nine tournaments he played this season.
The course record at River Highlands is 60, set last year by Patrick Cantlay as an amateur. The 20-year-old missed the cut this year in his first professional tournament.
Rory Sabbatini finished six shots behind the leader, but took home a gold Rolex after making his first hole-in-one on tour. His shot on the 161-foot 16th hole hit and spun left into the hole.
“It felt really good coming off the club,” he said. “It was just a question of having the right yardage. I kind of joked in the middle of the ball flight, and I said, ‘Be the right one and go in the hole.’”
Hunter Mahan shot a career-low 61 and tied for 11th after he came within a stroke of missing the 54-hole cut.
Mahan, in the first pair of the day, joked that he was just trying to play fast and not hold up the field. He opened with five pars before making nine birdies on the final 13 holes.
He missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole. His 20-foot birdie putt from the edge of the green on 18 put him at 10-under 270 for the tournament.
“Your adrenaline is pumping more than you are nervous, because nothing really bad can happen,” he said. “I was just trying to hit it close and make a putt.”
Mahan, whose first tour win came here in 2007, needed a 6-foot birdie on 18 Saturday to make the 54-hole cut.
“At that point, you’re kind of like … do I want to even make this?” he said. “I’m glad I did.”
SUNDAY’S FINAL LEADERBOARD
At TPC River Highlands
Cromwell, Conn. (Purse: $6.5 million)
Yardage: 6,841 Par: 70
Marc Leishman (500), $1,080,000 68-66-70-62—266
Charley Hoffman (245), $528,000 67-67-67-66—267
Bubba Watson (245), $528,000 66-71-65-65—267
Tim Clark (109), $236,250 66-69-66-67—268
Brian Davis (109), $236,250 67-67-64-70—268
John Rollins (109), $236,250 68-67-65-68—268
Roland Thatcher (109), $236,250 66-67-65-70—268
Brendon de Jonge (80), $174,000 72-65-66-66—269
Fredrik Jacobson (80), $174,000 65-66-70-68—269
Matt Kuchar (80), $174,000 67-68-66-68—269
P. Harrington (63), $132,00 69-67-65-69—270
Hunter Mahan (63), $132,000 70-69-70-61—270
Chez Reavie (63), $132,000 66-71-65-68—270
Vaughn Taylor (63), $132,000 70-70-65-65—270
Will Claxton (55), $102,000 65-67-69-70—271
Heath Slocum (55), $102,000 70-66-69-66—271
C. Tringale (55), $102,000 69-70-68-64—271
Stuart Appleby (51), $75,600 68-65-67-72—272
Gary Christian (51), $75,600 66-68-72-66—272
James Driscoll (51), $75,600 68-66-66-72—272
Tommy Gainey (51), $75,600 66-68-70-68—272
Seung-Yul Noh (51), $75,600 68-68-68-68—272
Rory Sabbatini (51), $75,600 71-66-68-67—272
Nathan Green (45), $49,800 65-69-70-69—273
Brian Harman (45), $49,800 70-65-69-69—273
Billy Horschel (45), $49,800 71-67-67-68—273
Bo Van Pelt (45), $49,800 70-67-67-69—273
Charlie Wi (45), $49,800 70-65-70-68—273
Blake Adams (39), $36,525 69-64-70-71—274
Charlie Beljan (39), $36,525 73-67-68-66—274
Keegan Bradley (39), $36,525 68-68-70-68—274
Robert Karlsson (39), $36,525 68-68-66-72—274
Billy Mayfair (39), $36,525 68-66-71-69—274
Garth Mulroy (39), $36,525 68-69-69-68—274
Webb Simpson (39), $36,525 66-69-68-71—274
Camilo Villegas (39), $36,525 68-64-70-72—274
Aaron Baddeley (30), $24,000 67-68-69-71—275
Greg Chalmers (30), $24,000 67-69-69-70—275
Chris Couch (30), $24,000 72-67-66-70—275
Tim Herron (30), $24,000 72-68-67-68—275
J.B. Holmes (30), $24,000 70-62-75-68—275
Brandt Jobe (30), $24,000 67-72-64-72—275
Jerry Kelly (30), $24,000 66-72-68-69—275
Derek Lamely (30), $24,000 68-71-68-68—275
Vijay Singh (30), $24,000 71-69-67-68—275
Chris Stroud (30), $24,000 71-68-69-67—275
Roberto Castro (18), $14,585 67-70-71-68—276
Chris DiMarco (18), $14,585 67-70-71-68—276
Ken Duke (18), $14,585 67-69-73-67—276
Billy Hurley III (18), $14,585 69-67-72-68—276
Ryan Moore (18), $14,585 72-67-69-68—276
Louis Oosthuizen (18), $14,585 69-69-70-68—276
Johnson Wagner (18), $14,585 69-70-69-68—276
Lucas Glover (18), $14,585 70-66-71-69—276
J.J. Henry (18), $14,585 73-67-65-71—276
Jeff Maggert (18), $14,585 69-66-72-69—276
Rocco Mediate (18), $14,585 66-70-69-71—276
Patrick Reed, $14,585 73-66-68-69—276
Kevin Streelman (18), $14,585 68-69-67-72—276
Gavin Coles (11), $13,140 73-65-70-69—277
Kyle Stanley (11), $13,140 70-67-70-70—277
Richard H. Lee (9), $12,900 72-67-69-70—278
Ian Poulter (9), $12,900 68-71-68-71—278
Harris English (6), $12,600 69-71-67-72—279
Zach Johnson (6), $12,600 72-65-70-72—279
Bryce Molder (6), $12,600 71-67-67-74—279
Sean O’Hair (4), $12,360 70-68-69-73—280
Graham DeLaet (3), $12,240 68-68-70-75—281
Arjun Atwal (2), $12,060 71-68-70-74—283
Jamie Lovemark (2), $12,060 70-70-68-75—283
Made cut, did not finish:
M.A. Carballo (1), $11,640 71-69-70—210
George McNeill (1), $11,640 73-66-71—210
John Merrick (1), $11,640 72-65-73—210
Nick O’Hern (1), $11,640 68-69-73—210
Tim Petrovic (1), $11,640 71-69-70—210
Stephen Gangluff (1), $11,040 67-71-73—211
Neal Lancaster (1), $11,040 72-68-71—211
David Mathis (1), $11,040 64-73-74—211
Patrick Sheehan (1), $11,040 68-72-71—211
D.J. Trahan (1), $11,040 73-67-71—211
Brian Gay (1), $10,560 68-72-72—212
Jason Kokrak (1), $10,560 74-66-72—212
Danny Lee (1), $10,560 69-70-73—212
Angel Cabrera (1), $10,140 74-66-73—213
Scott Dunlap (1), $10,140 75-65-73—213
Tom Pernice Jr. (1), $10,140 74-66-73—213
John Peterson, $10,140 70-70-73—213
Bart Bryant (1), $9,840 71-69-74—214
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