United States Open winner Angel Cabrera forced a play-off with an 18th-hole eagle, then birdied the third extra hole on Wednesday to beat Irishman Padraig Harrington and capture the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
The 38-year-old Argentine veteran fired his second consecutive two-under par 68 at the four-man, 36-hole showdown event to match Harrington on four-under 136 before taking the $1,35-million match-up involving 2007 Major winners.
Cabrera, ranked 17th, won his only title in 90 PGA events at the US Open in June at Oakmont while seventh-ranked Harrington, who fired a final-round 69, captured his first Major title in July at the British Open in Carnoustie.
American Jim Furyk was third on 138 after a closing 67 while countryman Zach Johnson, who won his first Major crown at the Masters back in April, fired a 69 to finish last on 139.
World number one Tiger Woods, who captured the PGA Championship in August, was the year’s only absent Major winner. Third-ranked Furyk, the 2003 US Open champion, replaced him by virtue of his combined showings in the year’s Majors.
Cabrera endured a roller-coaster round on his way to victory, opening with a double-bogey and making bogey at the second hole. But birdies at the sixth and seventh and another to begin the back nine put the South American in the hunt.
Cabrera eagled the par-5 11th but gave back the gains with bogeys at the 12th and 16th to fall two strokes behind Harrington.
But Cabrera birdied the par-3 17th and eagled the 18th, which Harrington birdied to join Cabrera in the play-off drama. Both parred at 18 and 17 before Cabrera’s birdie in his third trip of the day to 18 brought him the triumph.
Harrington (36) led by a stroke when the day began but like Cabrera had his troubles with a birdie-bogey start. He also birdied the sixth and seventh but bogeys at nine and 13 and a birdie at 14 set the stage for the play-off. — AFP
