J.B. Holmes wins Wells Fargo Championship

J.B. Holmes held on to win the Wells Fargo Championship at the Quail Hollow Club by a single shot from Jim Furyk. It was his first PGA Tour victory since undergoing brain surgery in 2011.

J.B. Holmes held on to win the Wells Fargo Championship at the Quail Hollow Club by a single shot from Jim Furyk. It was his first PGA Tour victory since undergoing brain surgery in 2011.

Holmes made his move around the turn in the final round at Quail Hollow, recording three birdies in the space of four holes to move two shots clear of a congested pack. He then extended that advantage to three with another birdie at the par-5 15th.

With three holes to play, the win looked secure. But Holmes didn’t make it easy. On the 16th he made a bogey, reducing his lead to two. Then, on the 17th he faced an eight foot putt for par to keep his advantage at two. He duly knocked it in and the save proved to be crucial.

On the home hole, he found the rough from the tee and missed the green with his second. He hit a poor chip and faced 45 feet for par, needing two putts to win by one. His first effort finished three feet away from the hole but, after composing himself for a moment, he rolled it in for a bogey and a one-shot victory.

It was an emotional moment for Holmes who underwent major surgery to remove a piece of his skull after he was diagnosed with structural defects in the cerebellum almost three years ago.

“It’s been a long journey for me,” he said. “I’ve had some ups and downs and it’s a great feeling to be out there and get the job done.”

Jim Furyk produced a great final round to finish alone in second spot. He holed out for an eagle on the 15th en-route to a 65.

The biggest shock of the final round was the poor performance of Phil Mickelson. Just two shots back at the start of play, he missed a number of short putts and carded a closing 76. It was his worst final round on the PGA Tour for 18 months.

“I had two great rounds and I had two pathetic rounds this week,” he said. “The greens putted perfectly, even though I didn’t.”

Martin Flores needed a birdie at the final hole to tie with Holmes but could only bogey. He finished alone in third.

Despite holing out twice on the back nine, Jason Bohn couldn’t match Holmes' four-round total of 14-under-par. He ended the week alone in fourth.

England’s Justin Rose carded a closing 71 to secure solo fifth place.

Wells Fargo Championship Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina May 1-4, purse $6,900,000, par 72

1    J.B. Holmes (USA)    70    67    66    71    274    $1,242,000 2    Jim Furyk (USA)        72    69    69    65    275    $745,200 3    Martin Flores (USA)    67    68    69    72    276    $469,200 4    Jason Bohn (USA)    73    67    67    70    277    $331,200 5    Justin Rose (Eng)        69    67    71    71    278    $276,000 T6    Brendon de Jonge (Zim) 80    62    68    69    279    $239,775 T6    Kevin Kisner (USA)    72    66    68    73    279    $239,775 T8    Roberto Castro (USA)    71    70    69    70    280    $200,100 T8    Rory McIlroy (NIR)    69    76    65    70    280    $200,100 T8    Rory Sabbatini (RSA)    74    68    71    67    280    $200,100

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage