It’s why you always play until the whistle blows.
Taylor Pendrith prevailed at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson by one stroke on Sunday for his breakthrough victory on the PGA TOUR. He was the 54-hole leader but he wasn’t the 71-hole leader, and he didn’t require a playoff after posting 23-under 261.
The 32-year-old from Canada had trailed by one as he stepped onto the tee box at the par-5 18th hole at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. A tidy birdie (4) at the last allowed him to slingshot past Ben Kohles, who closed with a bogey (6). All holes count the same, but the timing of that trade sets up Pendrith for lifetime membership, so its relative value is the greatest.
Pendrith was +10000 to win pre-tournament at BetMGM. Kohles also was chasing his first TOUR title as he was +30000 to emerge as the champion. While great things are expected of the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour points leader, Kohles’ photo opportunity on this stage is postponed at least another week.
In addition to 500 FedExCup points and $1.71 million, Pendrith will swap out his previous commitment at the Myrtle Beach Classic for a spot in the Wells Fargo Championship. He’s now also exempt into the last two Signature Events and the PGA Championship this season. Exemptions in the 2025 editions of The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship and the Masters also are promised.
Alex Noren finished alone in third. At +2200, the Swede was fourth-shortest to win.
Jordan Spieth and Si Woo Kim shared the lowest odds at +1600. Spieth missed the cut, while Kim landed in a seven-way tie for 13th place.
The defending champion, Jason Day, was third-shortest at +2000. He finished T59 among the 66 who made the cut.
Source: pgatour.com
