Erik van Rooyen has won his second PGA Tour title on what was an emotional final round in Mexico for the 33-year-old South African.
Although overnight leaders Camilo Villegas and Matt Kuchar shared the lead for much of the day, the back nine saw a number of other players move into contention, including van Rooyen, who almost made a spectacular hole-in-one on the par-3 11th.
Van Rooyen spoke yesterday about how much he was looking forward to going back home to visit his close friend Jon Trasamar, who is gravely ill with cancer.
Prior to his final round, he shared an emotional hug with his caddie, Alex Gaugert, who, along with Trasamar, also attended the University of Minnesota.
Winning might not have been on his mind at the start of the week, especially given what has been a fairly ordinary season, but he was nothing short of inspirational on Sunday, and he came home in 28 for a final-round 63 to win by two strokes.
With no wind, the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal was mostly defenseless, which meant that anyone not making birdies moved backwards pretty swiftly.
Villegas’ putter was hot, though, and he was quick into his stride with four birdies in his first six holes. Kuchar, meanwhile, lost ground despite making two early birdies of his own.
The 45-year-old opened his week with a pair of 65s and was six shots clear at one stage on Saturday before running into trouble on the par-4 15th, where he racked up a quadruple-bogey eight – and he followed that with another dropped shot at the 16th.
With Villegas moving ahead, Kuchar found himself doing the chasing, but he halved his opponent’s lead with a 35-footer at the par-4 9th to set up an interesting battle on the back nine.
And it came even more gripping on the last nine holes when van Rooyen moved into contention, the South African almost making an ace at the par-3 11th to move just two shots back.
Justin Suh, who was searching for his first PGA Tour title, was right in the mix, too, but it was van Rooyen’s putter that was the hottest.
Sensing an opportunity to strike with Villegas going cold on the greens, he made further gains at the 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th, before finding the green in two at the par-5 18th with one of the best shots of the week that rolled out to 12 feet.
Kuchar was wide with his approach and went long with his pitch onto the green, which opened the door for van Rooyen – and he wasted no time in delivering the knockout blow, after which he shared another embrace with his caddie.
“Every shot was for him,” said van Rooyen, who broke down several times during his post round interview, adding that he found it easy to cope with the pressure of winning the tournament with the thoughts of what his friend was going through in his kind.
Although it’s not something van Rooyen is likely to celebrate now, his second PGA Tour victory does give him a two-year exemption.
And with victories on the Challenge Tour, Sunshine Tour, DP World Tour and PGA Tour, he has plenty of reasons to feel optimistic and excited by what might lie ahead.
For a number of other players in Mexico, including Ludvig Aberg, it was a case of running out of holes, the charge coming a fraction too late on a day when, at one point, the scoring average was down at 67.11, nearly a full five shots under par.
World Wide Technology Championship Leaderboard
- -27 van Rooyen
- -25 Villegas, Kuchar
- -24 Suh
- -22 Putnam, Palmer
- -21 Hadley, Hughes
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HOT START FROM HADLEY
Early scores show that there are birdies out there. That is proven in the form of Chesson Hadley, who has birdied the first, third, fourth and fifth to sit four-under through five. The American is still three back of the leaders, but you never know, if he carries on this start he could be challenging very soon!
Young Within Two
Carson Young has birdied his opening two holes to move within two shots. The American has just one top 10 finish in the 2022-23 season, albeit a third place finish, but if he can keep this up he may well find himself near the top of the leaderboard at the end of play.
Elsewhere, others have made hot starts, with Patton Kizzire, Scott Piercy and Michael Kim birdieing the opening hole. They all sit just inside the top 10, with all 16-under for the tournament
Final Groups Begin With Birdies
The par 5 opening hole has been ranked the easiest this week and, with the final groups, it is no different, with Justin Suh and Mackenzie Hughes starting with birdies to get to 18-under.
Not to be outdone, Matt Kuchar has birdied the first to get to 20-under and he is soon joined by Camilo Villegas who also birdies the first. It's a complete contrast for Erik Van Rooyen, who takes two to get out the greenside bunker. He bogeys and is now three back.
Leaders start strongly
Villegas and Kuchar with birdies at the 1st, both -20.
Piercy on the charge
Scott Piercy, meanwhile, has started with three straight birdies. The American moves into the mix, just two back at -18. If you're not under par today, you're moving backwards.
Aberg to -16
Hard to take your eyes off Ludvig Aberg at the moment. The Swede is -5 for the day through 11 holes. At -16 he's probably too far back, but that first win on the PGA Tour can't be far away.
FLASHBACK
It's been a while since the Colombian last won on the PGA Tour. Here's Villegas lifting the trophy at the Wyndham Championship in 2014. Can he get over the line today to claim PGA Tour victory number five?
59 WATCH
An early shout for 59 watch. Scott Piercy is -4 through 4, not a score I'm too familiar with. Must feel good.
VILLEGAS LEADS ALONE
Just as Luis Diaz knocks in a last-minute equaliser for Liverpool at Luton, fellow Colombian Villegas drops a birdie at the 3rd to take a one-shot lead over Matt Kuchar. This is going to be a sprint to the finish.
Kuchar seeking double digit titles
Here's Matt Kuchar looking rather happy after his last PGA Tour victory - number nine at the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2019. He did win the Singapore Open in 2020, but this would be PGA Tour victory number ten for the 45-year-old.
CAMILO IS HOT
Right, then. Camilo is making an early statement in the final round - the lead is now two over Kuchar, who has lost ground despite being -1 through four. Three 3s in a row for Villegas.
Suh into second
Suh joins Kuchar in second at -20 with a birdie three at the 5th. They're queuing up if Camilo does make a mistake.
THOUGHTS ON TIGER'S COURSE?
We're looking at a -27/-28 winning score at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal Golf Course. Personally, Tiger, I'm not a fan. I'd have thought the great man, who loved a challenge, would have made his courses slightly more challenging than this. It's a topic that splits opinion. If you like watching your 62s and 63s, then I guess this must be very entertaining.
CAMILO TO 10 FEET
Another birdie effort coming up for the leader... good chance at the 6th coming up. Can he stretch his lead to three. A quality wedge shot there.
KUCHAR WITH A FIST PUMP
There we go, Matt. A nice putt gets him within one, only for Camilo to respond immediately with a nice putt of his own.
ABERG RUNNING OUT OF HOLES
Ludvig won't want this round to end, it's all looking rather easy for the Swede. Another birdie on the 15th and he has eight for the day. He's on -19 and four back. A case of what might have been if it weren't for those back-to-back doubles on the front nice yesterday.
The tough stretch
Will this be where the tournament is won and lost? We're entering the tough stretch. No drama at the 7th for the leaders, but the 8th is another demanding one. Villegas looks completely in control at the moment, but the same could have been said of Kuchar yesterday before that ugly 8 at the 15th.
Insane scoring average
How does 67.11 sound? That's close to -5... and that's just the average for the final round.
GOOD LOOK FOR VILLEGAS
Camilo inside 10 feet on the par-4 8th, which is ranked the 4th hardest hole. This would be stealing a shot. Can he stretch his lead to three?
VILLEGAS MISSES CHANCE
All fours at the difficult 8th, Camilo missing a good opportunity there with a 10-footer. He's have liked a bit of a buffer but it's another stress free par. Onto the 9th for the leaders...
PALMER FROM NOWHERE
Back-to-back 2s for Palmer at the 10th and 11th. That'll get you moving in the right direction. Palmer up to -19.
KUCHAR WITH A BOMB
Another first pump from Kuchar and that's a nice way to end the front nine. A 35-footer gets him to within one of Villegas. Who's your money on?
NOT A TWO HORSE RACE
So we have Villegas at -23, and now Kuchar and Suh at -22. Palmer is at -20. A three horse race, maybe?
KUUUUUUUCH
Almost an eagle two from the sand at the 10th - but that's a tap in birdie and he's now joint-leader. Great hands, there, from Kuchar.
HOTTEST PLAYER ON THE COURSE
Is this man...
EagleBirdieBirdie@RyanPalmerPGA moves to 20-under and three shots off the lead @WWTChampionship 📈 pic.twitter.com/PxMqCiyFfRNovember 5, 2023
Don't rule out big Erik!
van Rooyen is just three shots back. Make that two. Kick in birdie at the par-3 11th. Almost an ace! Wow, what a tee shot, two more rolls and that would have disappeared.
THEY'RE QUEUING UP BEHIND
T1 Villegas -23 (11)
T1 Kuchar -23 (11)
3 Suh -22 (12)
T4 Palmer -21 (14)
T4 van Rooyen -21 (11)
Birdie putts coming up for the leaders on 12.
CHASING NUMBER 10
A reminder that Matt Kuchar is chasing PGA Tour title number ten. It he does win today, he'll become the 117th player to have won ten times on the PGA Tour. Meanwhile, van Rooyen drops his third birdie in a row to get to within one shot. This is getting interesting!
CAMILO COOLING, KUCH WARMING UP
Great chance gone at 12 - that's six straight pars for the Colombian. New leader with Kuchar cleaning up for his birdie.
CHOPPING AND CHANGING
- -24 Kuchar
- -23 Villegas, Suh
- -22 van Rooyen
SHOT OF THE DAY?
Take a bow, Erik. The South African is flying right now. He's just two back having come very close to an ace on 11.
“That would’ve been nice.” 😆 A near-ace from @FredVR_ moves him to 21-under and just two shots off the lead @WWTChampionship pic.twitter.com/073yNr7OAtNovember 5, 2023
ANOTHER CHANCE GONE
Camilo's putter has gone cold. Another 10-footer slides by. Not a bad putt, positive stroke there at least. However, it's another chance gone and Kuchar retains his one shot lead with five holes to play.
CLUB TWIRL FROM SUH
He's on the par-5 14th. His approach (2nd) is right on line, but comes up a touch short. Looks a simple up-and-down and if he makes that he'll have a share of the lead. My money is on a playoff.
Provisional for Camilo
A bit wayward off the tee from Camilo, left with his first. Right with his second. Up at the green, Suh makes a bit of a mess with his putt from just off the front of the green. He'll have a lot more work to do than he would have liked for his birdie.
WELL FOUND, ERIK
Great spot from Erik, who finds Camilo's first drive in the.... whatever it is - thick stuff. Erik is the kind of playing partner you want, great eyes, very sporting. It'll be a penalty drop for Camilo. This could be curtains for the Colombian. It happened to Kuchar on 15 yesterday, and now it's happening to Camilo on 14. It is a par 5 but you'd fancy Kuchar and Erik van Rooyen to make birdies from where they are. Has to somehow make par.
EAGLE PUTT COMING UP FOR EVR
A high class second from Erik van Rooyen sets up an eagle at the par-5 14th. Kuchar follows with a 7/10 effort. Villegas could soon find himself two shots back having had that advantage himself after six holes of the final round.
suh wide on 15
Great recovery after going left on 15 from Suh. The 26-year-old American is still right there just one shot back.
EVR WITHIN ONE
van Rooyen gets to within one... for the moment.
KUCHAR BACK TO TWO CLEAR
The lead was one for about 45 second. Kuchar follows van Rooyen's birdie with one of his own. In fact, they both had virtually the same eagle putts. Meanwhile, Villegas makes a terrific par given his troubles off the tee. Even so, he's two shots back now alongside Suh at -23.
BEAUTY ON 15 FROM KUCH
Puts the eight from yesterday behind him with a beauty this time around. He has one hand on the trophy now. One more birdie here would be nice. The others have to attack now, not that there has been many defensive shots today.
SMILES FROM VAN ROOYEN
Somehow van Rooyen's approach, which is ultra aggressive, stays up on 15, and he'll now actually have a fairly good look at birdie. Kuchar plays safe. He's probably 45 feet away but putting for a three and not a big number like he was yesterday. Still has one hand on the trophy.
CLASS FROM KUCH
A beautiful lag putt from Kuchar, which is just what was required. The lead, though, becomes one as Suh sinks a long putt ahead at the 16th.
SUH ONE BACK
All of a sudden, Kuchar's lead isn't so comfortable. He's not a guy to panic, but he still has some work to do here before being able to call himself a ten-timer.
KUCH BY ONE... JUST
Not the best tee shot from Kuchar on 16. He goes ballistic. "Good gracious, Matt." Leaves himself a 50-footer and it's another decent lag, maybe five feet for par. Erik van Rooyen's birdie effort finds the bottom of the cup! What a putt that was. A good 20 feet. Villegas misses. This now looks like a three horse race: Kuchar, van Rooyen and Suh.
Kuchar's putt is no gimme. The American might look super relaxed, but that 360 round the cup would have made him feel sick for a second. He leads by one, just.
ONE UP TWO TO PLAY
The pressure is on Kuchar. He has a one shot lead going down 17. Suh has just missed a decent opportunity from around 12 feet up ahead on the green. What he wouldn't give for a three up the last...
Here we go, then. Who's your money on? I'm still calling a playoff.
THIS IS CLUTCH
HUGE birdie putt for @FredVR_ 💪He is just one back @WWTChampionship. pic.twitter.com/lZsMqZsYVFNovember 5, 2023
FROM A DIVOT...
Class from Kuchar. Great strike, uses the backstop and it rolls back to about 15 feet. van Rooyen last to play coming in from a perfect angle. It's Ok, not great but Ok. Up ahead at 18 and Suh's tee ball trickles into the bunker. Not the end of the world, but he's on the tee thinking he can get to the green in two - and that probably isn't going to be an option.
JOINT LEADERS!
What. A. Putt. Erik van Rooyen with six birdies in his last eight holes. -25.
VILLEGAS BIRDIE!
And Camilo follows van Rooyen with a beautiful putt of his own. The Colombian is still in there fighting for his fifth PGA Tour title. van Rooyen and Kuchar share the lead at -25. We go to the 18th.
SUH COMES UP SHORT
That first PGA Tour win can't be far away for Suh. He's just come up short here. If it's possible to feel disappointed with a round of -7, that's maybe how Suh will reflect on Sunday's work. He gave himself a good chance there, but just a par 5 at the 72nd hole. Right, the leaders....
WHAT A SHOT
The eyes! Erik is pumped. What an approach. His second shot bounces short and rolls up to about 12 feet for eagle. Over to you, Matt.
KUCHAR WIDE
Erik van Rooyen goes favorite. That's a wide from Kuchar and he'll have a tricky up-and-down for birdie.
VAN ROOYEN WINS!
Kuchar's putt goes long - not a bad effort, but it leaves the American with about 15 foot for his birdie. EvR will have a putt for the win. Makes it!
WELL DONE, ERIK
His second win on the PGA Tour. Finishes -27 with that eagle at the last. That was some putting display.
"EVERY SHOT WAS FOR HIM"
Erik van Rooyen very emotional there. His former college teammate Jon Trasamar is battling cancer. He spoke yesterday about how he just wants to get away and see his friend. Clearly had a lot more than golf on his mind today. To win in those circumstances was extraordinary.
YOUR WINNER
Deserves a drink, I'd say.
That's it from us. Well done, Erik. That was an incredible stretch of holes.