Merritt shoots 67 to win Quicken Loans National by 3 shots

The difference ultimately came in a small adjustment with hand position in address on Tuesday, then squaring his shoulders more on putts before the weekend.

“It is superb how one can dream of profitable a golf event your complete life and you have got it scripted and when it occurs, you are not considering”, he stated. “You don’t remember what your name is”.

“You just don t give up”, Merritt said. “That is all it was”.

Troy Merritt held firm and finished with a flourish to claim his first PGA Tour title with a three-stroke win on Sunday at the Quicken Loans National at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.

The unheralded 29-year-old held off US star Rickie Fowler and Swede David Lingmerth over the back nine to become the 10th first-time victor on the US PGA Tour this season but the first in the history of the National. It was really nice coming down that final fairway with a two-shot lead. Fowler shot a 69 that featured seven birdies and five bogeys, and Lingmerth’s 69 included five birdies and three bogeys. The second-place finisher, Fowler waited outside of the clubhouse to hug Merritt as he made his way there to sign his scorecard.

“He went on the market and earned it at the moment”, Fowler stated.

“I turned it over just slightly, made great contact and it got right in there to 12 feet and I was able to capitalize on it”, he said.

The 33-year-old Finn made an eagle on the par-4 10th to go with seven birdies for a tournament-record 24-under total of 264. He made five birdies. But the $1,206,000 prize will help fix a phone that’s been cracked for two months – though he may not even do that because he has an “epic game” of Candy Crush going. Merritt made shot after shot in the closing stretch at the Robert Trent Jones course, including a near ace on No. 16, and then capped off his victory in style with this long birdie putt on 18.

Though he was safely in front heading to the 72nd hole, Merritt curled in a 34-foot putt to close out the win.

But Woods faltered with three back-nine bogeys and shot a 68 to tie for 18th at 8 under.

Lingmerth, who as soon as shared the lead with Haas and Merritt at 15 beneath, adopted with a nasty bogey on the par-5 eighth, the primary of three bogeys over the closing 10 holes that stored him from making a transfer.

Fowler’s surge ultimately came too late; he made a 24-footer on the 18th green to get to 15 under, still two strokes back of Merritt, who would have had to double-bogey the hole for a playoff.

He opened with a birdie to take sole possession of the lead, and made two extra to show at Three beneath. His bogey at the hard 12th dropped him into a tie with Haas at 16 under, but Haas then crumbled.

While Merritt had 11 birdies and a bogey on the par-5 eighth, Woods didn’t make his first birdie until a 17-foot putt dropped on the par-4 15th. These guys are the best players in the world and they’re only getting better. After hitting his drive nicely proper and right into a hazard, he took a drop after which hit a blind 5-wood to the again fringe of the inexperienced, about 15 ft from the cup.

Rohanna finishes tied for 22nd: Waynesburg High School graduate Rachel Rohanna bounced back in the Symetra Tour’s PHC Classic Sunday, shooting a 1-over-par 73 to finish the event tied for 22nd with eight other golfers.

Woods rose from No. 195 to No. 185 in the FedEx Cup rankings and has just three weeks left to climb into the top 125 and qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, but said that that is not his focus.