Sanderson Farms Championship: China’s Carl Yuan nets best PGA Tour finish, but costly bogey denies him shot at history
- Stunning eagle at 17 lifts Yuan into six-way tie for lead, before dropped shot at the last ends play-off hopes
- American Luke List drains 40-footer for birdie on first extra hole to claim title
Carl Yuan’s bogey on the final hole of the Sanderson Farms Championship may have prove to be the costliest of his season, dropping him out of a six-way tie for the lead and a play-off to decide the winner.
The Chinese golfer ended up with an 18ft putt for par after finding the rough off the tee, and watched it agonisingly brush the edge of the cup, dropping him to 17-under for the tournament.
It was not all bad news though, with Yuan’s tie for sixth the best finish of his PGA Tour career.
American Luke List emerged from the pack to win the tournament in Jackson, Mississippi, draining a monster 40ft putt for birdie on the first extra hole to pip overnight leader Ben Griffin, Ryder Cup star Ludvig Aberg, Henrik Norlander and Scott Stallings.
Yuan’s stunning eagle at the par-4 17th, where he holed out from 119 yards, had given him a shot at becoming the first Chinese golfer to win on Tour.
“I mean, obviously I didn’t play my great golf, but I really hung in there tough. Just couldn’t quit, right?,” Yuan said.
“I knew I’ve got to do something special coming down the stretch on 17. All I was thinking was trying to hole the shot, and fortunately it happened. That was a really cool moment. I would say inspired is something every golfer should have.
“There’s always hope; never quit. If you’ve got a shot, the ball can always go in the hole. That was a really cool moment for me.”
Yuan will now head to the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin in Vegas this week, invigorated by his first top-10 finish.
“I think it’s definitely some good momentum going into the next event,” he said. “I feel much better with my game, and yeah, when I get confidence going, I can shoot some low scores out here.”
