Not only did Fabian Gomez win the Sony Open in Hawaii, he probably clinched a spot on Argentina’s Olympic team for the 2016 Games this summer at Rio de Janeiro.
The 37-year-old Gomez claimed his second PGA Tour victory, tapping in for a birdie on the second playoff hole to defeat Brandt Snedeker in the Sony at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
Gomez, who won the FedEx St. Jude Classic last year, closed with an 8-under-par 62 that included seven straight birdies through No. 12, but carded bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes that nearly proved to be costly.
However, he finished with birdies on the last two holes, including a 22-foot putt at No. 18.
“I really felt pretty good, then I lost momentum with those bogeys on 14 and 15, but I got a lot of confidence back with (an 11-foot) birdie on the 17th hole,” Gomez said through an interpreter. “I finished strong and I’m very proud of myself.”
Snedeker, who held the outright lead after the second round and was tied for the lead entering the final round, was 1-over through the first eight holes but birdied three of the last five holes to catch Gomez with a 66.
However, he missed a 12-foot birdie putt to win on the first extra hole and then could not hole a 10-footer to prolong the playoff on what proved to be the final hole.
“I’m obviously disappointed,” said Snedeker, who has won seven times on the PGA Tour. “I missed some putts that I usually make, but I still had a chance to win and just didn’t get it done.”
Zac Blair, seeking his first PGA Tour victory, held a two-stroke lead at one time in the final round and closed with a birdie to shoot 67 and wound up one stroke out of the playoff, while Si Woo Kim of South Korea shot 68 and was four shots back in fourth.
Greg Owen of England sank an eight-foot eagle putt on the final hole to shoot 64 and was five strokes back in a tie for fifth with FedEx Cup points leader Kevin Kisner, who had a 70.
Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe and USC birdied the last two holes for a second straight 65 and finished six shots behind in a tie for seventh with Graham DeLaet of Canada, who also birdied the last two holes for a 66.
Zach Johnson, the 2009 Sony champion, closed with a 67 and was another stroke back in a tie for ninth with Jerry Kelly, who birdied the last hole for another 67, Hudson Swafford, who had four birdies on the back nine for yet another 67, and Jason Dufner, who carded a 68.
Two-time defending champion Jimmy Walker bounced back from three bogeys in the first four holes to card a 66 and tied for 13th, while Adam Scott of Australia, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 11 in the world, came in with a 69 to tie for 56th.
