Palm Harbor, FL – Gary Woodland holed two clutch putts down the stretch Sunday to earn his first PGA Tour victory at The Transitions Championship.
Woodland shot a four-under 67 in the final round to come from behind and get the win at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf and Spa Resort. He finished at 15-under 269 and won by a stroke over Webb Simpson, who managed a two-under 69.
It came down to those two through most of the back nine, but Simpson held the lead after Woodland bogeyed the 15th and 16th holes. Woodland trailed by one, but hit a solid five-iron tee ball to 16 feet at the par-three 17th. He ran home the birdie putt to tie Simpson at 15-under par.
Woodland hammered a two-iron 280 yards down the fairway at the closing hole. He pulled a pitching-wedge from 145 yards and had a long, downhill birdie chance. Woodland ran his birdie effort 11 feet by the hole.
It was the putter once again that saved Woodland. He rolled in the par save and waited for Simpson, who was in the group behind him.
Simpson drove into a bunker on the left and hit his second to almost the exact spot Woodland was minutes earlier. Simpson was a little farther from the hole and his chip ran 20 feet by the stick.
He needed to convert the par putt to force a playoff, but his putt never hit the hole. Simpson made bogey and Woodland got the one-stroke victory.
Tour rookie Scott Stallings posted a one-under 70 on Sunday and took third at 12-under 272, followed by Brandt Snedeker, whose 70 got him into fourth at minus-11.
Third-round leader Justin Rose struggled to a three-over 74 and fell into a tie for fifth with Marc Turnesa (66), Martin Laird (70), Roland Thatcher (70), Chris Couch (71) and Brendon de Jonge (73). The group finished at 10-under 274.
