Kentucky’s Patrick Newcomb won the Syncrude Oil Country Championship in thrilling fashion.
The Mackenzie tour event at the Windermere Golf & Country Club needed a sudden death playoff after both Newcomb and Germany’s Max Rottluff finished the tournament at 16-under. It took four playoff holes to crown a winner, but in the end Newcomb was able to knock in a long birdie putt on hole 18 for the win.
“It was surprising, I thought I missed high,” said Newcomb.”I was talking with Dave (his caddie) and I said lets just give it a little bit more. It was late in the day and the greens were slowing down a little bit.”
“I gave it a little more and when the ball was about five feet away I said I can’t believe this is not going to go in. Somehow it just curled in the top edge and it felt amazing.”
Newcomb needed to claw back to force a playoff after Rottluff posted a six-under 64 to finish the tournament at 16-under. Newcomb was still on the course at the time and needed a birdie on 17 to equal Rottluff. He did just that and nearly followed that up with a birdie on 18 to win the tournament outright, but his putt came up just short.
“I just had my brother ringing in my ear. He’s like dude run it four feet by before you leave it short, especially on a 34 hole day,” said Newcomb.
“I was a little bit disappointed but I played great. That back nine was good to me this week.”
In the end Newcomb endured 38 holes of golf on Sunday after round three was suspended on Saturday due to the weather. He becomes the first player to have both a win on the Mackenzie Tour and the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.
Calgary’s Jared du Toit finished as the top Canadian after shooting a two-under 64 to finish in a tie for 9th place at eleven-under.