Golf: Glover wins back-to-back titles, Matsuyama among 5 Asians make it to second play-offs event

Memphis (USA) Aug 14 (IANS) American Lucas Glover (69) triumphed for the second straight week after prevailing in a playoff in the FedEx St. Jude Championship against Patrick Cantlay (64) at TPC Southwind. Both players finished up on 15-under 265, one ahead of Rory McIlroy (65) and Tommy Fleetwood (68).

Glover, who won at last week’s Wyndham Championship, earned his sixth PGA TOUR title with a par in the first extra hole after Cantlay made bogey, and moved up to fourth place in the FedExCup standings.

Five Asians made it to the second Playoff event -- Hideki Matsuyama played his last three holes in 3-under to squeeze in, Korea’s Sungjae Im was the top Asian as he finished tied sixth after a bogey-free 68. He rose from 32nd to 28th on the FedExCup standings. It was the 25-year-old’s eighth top-10 of the season and puts him in the hunt to qualify for the TOUR Championship, restricted to the Top-30 players, for a fifth straight year.

Si Woo Kim, winner of the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, finished tied 16th after a 68 and moved one rung up to 17th place in the FedExCup race while Tom Kim settled for tied 24th after a closing 72, dropping four positions to 18th place. The fourth Korean in the Playoffs, Byeong Hun An, settled for a share of the 37th position in Memphis and enters the penultimate Playoffs event in 38th position as he looks to qualify for the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career.

A fifth Asian in the second of the three Play-off events is Hideki Matsuyama, bidding to qualify for the Tour Championships for a 10th time. He carded 65 to finish T-16 and rose to 47th and inside 50, which is the criteria for the next event.

Glover made three big putts just to stay in the game and then hit the most important shot to beat Patrick Cantlay on the first extra hole for his second straight victory.

The 43-year-old Glover was No.112 in the FedExCup two weeks ago and preparing for an early end to his season. Now he's assured the TOUR Championship at East Lake and perhaps the Ryder Cup.

Glover made a 20-foot par putt, a 30-foot bogey putt and a 12-foot par putt over the final six holes to close with a 1-under 69 and force a playoff with Cantlay, who surged into contention with a 64.

The playoff effectively ended with one shot. Cantlay hit a 3-wood that was about a foot from being perfect, but it rolled down the bank and into the water. Glover found the fairway and two-putted for par. Cantlay took a penalty drop and his 20-foot par putt just slid by the right edge.

Glover becomes only the third player in his 40s to win back-to-back weeks on the PGA TOUR over the last 25 years, joining Kenny Perry (2003) and Vijay Singh, who did it three times.

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