Justin Rose of England birdied the last two holes to close with a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 and win the rain-plagued Zurich Classic of New Orleans by one stroke over Cameron Tringale at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La.
Rose, who tied for second behind Jordan Spieth in the Masters, finished off a third-round 65 with a birdie and then started his final round almost immediately, playing with the same brilliance while going the last 66 holes without a bogey on the soggy course.
After holing a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, he sank a 14-footer on the final hole that proved to be the winner.
“Any win is sweet,” said Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion who claimed his seventh victory on the PGA Tour, including at least one in six consecutive seasons. ” … The golf course was yielding a lot of birdie chances, but I missed a couple short ones and 11 and 12, but making putts on the last two holes made up for everything.
“When you miss, you feel like you’re going backward, but I kept telling myself to stay patient. I had it 100 percent at Augusta and you don’t have it quite like that every time, but obviously I’m operating at a very high level right now.”
Tringale, from Laguna Niguel, could have tied Rose with an eagle on the final hole but left his chip shot from 48 feet about a foot and a half short, settling a birdie and solo second after a bogey-free 65.
Boo Weekley, who shared the first-round lead with a 64, closed with a 65 to finish two strokes back in solo third, while Jason Day of Australia, who was tied for Rose for the 54-hole lead, shot 69 and was another shot back in a tie for fourth with Jim Herman, who had a bogey-free 65.
David Hearn of Canada birdied the final hole to close out a 68 and tied for sixth, four strokes behind, with rookie Daniel Berger, who came in at 69.
