New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Justin Rose capped a Sunday marathon with a birdie on the 72nd hole to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans by one stroke.
Rose closed with a 6-under 66 to finish at 22-under-par 266. This was his seventh win on the PGA Tour. He has at least one victory in six straight seasons on tour.
"It's an event I've played many times. I feel like year-in and year-out I've been getting closer and closer. I always joke with the Zurich guys that this is my fifth major," said Rose, who is a Zurich ambassador.
Cameron Tringale needed eagle at the last to force a playoff, but settled for a closing birdie, which left him one back. Tringale fired a 7-under 65 to end at minus-21.
Boo Weekley also closed with a 65 to grab third place at 20-under-par 268. Jim Herman (65) and Jason Day (69) shared fourth at minus-19 at the TPC Louisiana. David Hearn (68) and Daniel Berger (69) tied for sixth at 18-under 270.
There were weather delays all four days of this event. The longest delay on Saturday meant the last two groups had to play the final 36 holes on Sunday. There was a brief seven-minute fog delay early Sunday morning, but the event managed to finish on time. Day and Rose shared the lead when the third round was completed earlier Sunday.
Blayne Barber birdied the sixth and seventh to grab the lead early in the final round at 17-under. However, he played the final 11 holes in even-par with three birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey to share eighth place.
After three straight pars to open his round, Rose rolled in a 6-footer for birdie on the fourth to join Barber atop the leaderboard. Barber dropped a shot at nine.
Herman drained a 9-foot birdie try at the 10th to tie Rose at 17-under. Herman then birdied the par-5 11th to grab the lead. That was Herman's fourth birdie in five holes.
Rose answered with a birdie on the par-5 seventh. A 12-foot birdie effort on the eighth moved Rose one clear of Herman. Tringale, who was three groups behind Rose, chipped in for eagle at the seventh to tie Rose at minus-19.
Tringale poured in a 37-footer for birdie at eight to grab the lead. Rose responded with a kick-in birdie at 13. Tringale answered with a birdie at 11, but a bogey at 13 dropped him into tie with Rose at 20-under.
Rose dropped his tee shot at the par-3 17th 10 feet from the hole and converted that putt for birdie and the lead. Rose drained a 13-foot birdie chance at the last to post 22-under.
"I think the golf course is yielding birdies. You're going to have a lot of chances and I think that when you do miss the odd birdie putt, you feel like you're going backwards cause you know guys are making birdies," Rose said.
"All week, I just tried to stay patient. I missed a couple short ones at 11 and 12, but then it was important to hit that wedge shot really tight at 13. If I didn't birdie 13, I would have really felt like I was leaking some oil. That was important for some momentum and then to make those last two putts on the last two greens made up for everything."
Shortly after Rose made that birdie effort at 18, Tringale missed an 8-foot birdie try at 16. Weekley, who could have forced a playoff with an eagle at 18, found sand off the tee and laid up.
Weekley's third needed to go for eagle, but it stopped 12 feet from the hole. That left it to Tringale, who also needed to eagle the last for a playoff.
Tringale's second barely cleared the water short of the green and stopped in the fairway. His eagle chip came close, but stopped 17 inches from the hole. He tapped in for birdie and a second-place finish.
"It was a great week for me. I missed the cut last week, went home regrouped, worked on a few things just to tighten up my game and came out and had a great week," stated Tringale. "To just be one back when all is said and done is obviously disappointing, but it's a great week."
NOTES: With the delays, players stayed in the same groups for the final round ... Rose, who played the final 66 without a bogey, earned $1.242 million for the win ... Rose's streak of six straight seasons with a win is second only to Dustin Johnson's run of eight consecutive with a victory ... D.H. Lee had a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th ... The PGA Tour heads to San Francisco for the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship, where Day will defend his title.
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