History was made last weekend yet few really appreciated it. On the PGA front Jonathan Byrd won thee JT Shriners with a hole in one in the 4th playoff hole. This marks the first time in PGA tour history that a playoff was decided by a hole in one. Talk about lighting striking and just in the nick of time too. Darkness was creeping into the Las Vegas course when Byrd, Cameron Percy and defending champion Martin Laird decided to play one more hole. If a winner is still not decided they would have gone back the next day. After Byrd survived an almost disaster in the 3rd playoff hole, where his ball almost took a bath in the creek in front of the green, draining the ensuing 7 foot putt just to survive, he stepped up to the tee hardly seeing where his target was. With one mighty swing with his 6 iron, his ball soared through the air and landed 10 feet below the hole. It then proceeded to roll up true into the cup for the ace. How dark was it? Byrd did not even know the ball went in. He had to ask so many times before he believed it. Thus ended yet another exciting fall series event, with as much drama as the eagle fest served up by Rocco Mediate the previous week.
On the European front Matteo Mannasero also made history by being the youngest tour winner at 17 years and 188 days to beat out the record held by Danny Lee, who was then 18 and 213 days. Playing with the poise of a champion (British Amateur Champ), he played the back 9 impeccably recording a final score of 15 under to win by 3. Erstwhile leader Gary Boyd collapsed in holes 15 to 17 where he recorded a score of 4 over to end up at 11 under, tied for 4th. With the win, Mannasero is now in the same conversation as fellow young guns aiming to stamp their class as the future of golf. So who will be the star of the future? Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Ryo Ishikawa, Noh Seung Yul or Matteo Mannasero? The future of golf is indeed bright.
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