Lee Hodges is seldom rattled, except during Alabama football games when he is pulling for his favourite Crimson Tide.
Hodges eventually let go after utilising his unflappable demeanour to retain control of the 3M Open.
Hodges scored a 67 in the final round on Sunday to win the 3M Open by a stroke.
“I’ll remember this week forever because of the process I went through,” Hodges added. “I’ll just try to replicate this week every time I show up to a tournament.”
Hodges, who began the day with a five-stroke lead over J.T. Poston, was leading by three going into the par-5 18th hole on his 65th career start. After Poston’s go-for-broke approach resulted on a triple bogey, Hodges tapped in a short putt for his third birdie of the round.
“I had to try and give it a shot and see if there was any way I could make 3 there at the end and put some pressure on Lee,” Poston said.
Lee, a 28-year-old Alabama native, embraced and lifted his wife, Savannah, in delight when she rushed out to the green to see him. Then Hodges’ college coach at Alabama, Jay Seawell, shocked him with a surprise visit and a milkshake in hand. Not bad for a man from the little town of Ardmore.
“I’m super proud to be from there and represent those people,” Hodges added. “Man, I’m sure there’s a party going on in north Alabama right now.”
Poston had a 69 to tie for second place with Martin Laird and Kevin Streelman. Dylan Wu shot a 64 to tie Keith Mitchell for fifth place at 16 under.
Tony Finau, the reigning winner and the highest-ranked player in this field at 10th in the FedEx Cup standings, had a 70 to tie for sixth.
Hodges scored a 63 on Thursday, a 64 on Friday, and a 66 on Saturday to establish a commanding lead into the final round at the TPC Twin Cities course in Blaine, a former sod farm in suburban Minneapolis. Following an aggressive approach, he recorded two eagles and two bogeys on Sunday.
With one previous top-three result in 2022 at The American Express in La Quinta, California, Hodges claimed Saturday he couldn’t remember a five-shot lead in his whole career, amateur competition included, and felt like he was “playing with house money” with his spot on the tour assured for next season.
“Last night, my wife and I ate dinner here and then went to get some ice cream, and I slept like a baby,” Hodges said.
Hodges, who began the week in 74th position in the FedEx Cup rankings, jumped to 33rd after winning the $1.4 million prize. He became the 23rd third-round leader or co-leader to win on tour this season, joining Brian Harman last week at the British Open.
Poston began the week in 60th position in the FedEx Cup standings and finished in 38th.
Hodges established the 54-hole tournament record with a score of 193, two strokes better than Scott Piercy’s final-round total previous year. Piercy then shot a 76, including a triple bogey on No. 14, to blow a five-stroke lead with 11 holes to play. Finau won by three strokes with a 67.
Hodges escaped that destiny. His advantage was trimmed to 4 when he three-putted the 15th hole, and Poston, his final-round playing companion, smashed his second shot from the fairway to the green about 7 feet from the cup for his fourth birdie of the day. But Hodges quickly recovered to equal Poston’s birdie on the 16th hole.
“He was fantastic all day.” “We knew it was going to take something special to pull it off,” Poston added.
Poston’s second shot from the rough on the water’s edge ricocheted off the rocks on the retaining wall and ricocheted backward off the floating tournament logo before a splash that earned him a penalty stroke. His fifth shot skidded down the hill in front of the green, and he missed his first putt.
Beau Hossler boosted his playoff chances with a final-round 62 that set the course record and put him at 13 under for the event, tied for 13th place. Piercy, Bryson DeChambeau, Lucas Glover, and winner Matthew Wolff all shot 62 in the first tournament in 2019.
Hossler, 28, started the week in 62nd position in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 70 players advance to the three-stage playoff tournament, which starts Aug. 10 with the St. Jude Championship. There’s one more stop on the tour next weekend at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, to move up – or slip down.
Hossler set a PGA Tour record with eight consecutive birdies from holes 9 through 16. That featured a 45-foot putt he holed on his second shot on No. 13 that he acknowledged had “no business” going in.
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