Amen Corner wins at the Kepka Desert, lost in Jeju

Brooks Kepka [AFP=연합뉴스]

Brooks Kepka won the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, Arizona, on the 8th (Korean time). In the final round, he surpassed Korea’s Lee Kyung-hoon by one stroke with a total of 19 under pars of 65 strokes.

Kepka was eliminated in three consecutive cuts in recent years. The atmosphere was also bad, such as changing an old coach. Then he found his way back in the TPC Scottsdale Desert, where he had his first championship (2015). From the 13th with the stepping-leg par 5 hole, he did 3 consecutive birdies and stamped the championship with the chip-in eagle in the 17th hole. This is the championship I tasted 19 months after the 2019 WGC FedEx St. Jude Classic.

In the spring of 2019, Kepka was overwhelmingly number one in the world. He was nicknamed a major hunter because he was exceptionally strong in the majors such as the 2018 US Open and the PGA Championship. It was also compared to Thanos, the main character of the Avengers Infinity War movie that came out at the time. It seemed that no one could stop him. I was so confident that I felt like Tiger Woods in its heyday.

However, in April 2019, his course changed at the Amen Corner. After competing to win the Masters’ final round with Tiger Woods, he double-bottled at a par 3 in the 12th hole as the tee shot was pushed into the water by the wind. I missed the short birdie putt that could fit the last two holes, so I missed the green jacket.

Kepka won the US Open and WGC St. Jude Classic that year, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as before. I got lost again in the middle of Hallasan Mountain, Jeju. During the CJ Cup game held at Jeju Nine Bridges Golf Course in October 2019, he gave up because he couldn’t step well. Injured in his knee, he spent 2020 without any results. Recently, I went downhill in earnest with three consecutive cuts, but the atmosphere changed by winning.

Lee Kyung-hoon caught a birdie on the 13th, 15th, and 17th holes and climbed vertically, but the last hole birdie putt slightly missed the hole, so he couldn’t get a chance to go to overtime. For Lee Gyeong-hoon, Kepka’s 17th hole chip, Eagle, was disappointing. Lee Kyung-hoon has not yet won the PGA Tour, but there are achievements. Runner-up is the best performance ever on his PGA tour.

James Han, a Korean-American, took 6 birdies up to the 10th hole and took the 19-under-par alone lead. As a result, I was able to go overtime if I kept this score alone. However, the rankings were pushed as they drowned the ball in both the 13th and 15th holes, which are par 5s where opportunities and crises coexist. From No. 11, only 4 bogies were played, and the match ended in a tie for 10th place with a total of 15 under par.

Jordan Spice, who dreamed of resurrection after hitting 10 under par with 61 strokes the day before, lost one stroke in the final round and was pushed to fourth place at 17 under par.

Rory McIlroy reduced 7 strokes to 13 under par for 13th, Lim Sungjae reduced 6 strokes to 12 under par for 17th, and Kim Siwoo reduced one stroke to 7 under par 50th.

Hojun Sung Golf Reporter
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