Florida: South African Rory Sabbatini held off South Korean Yang Yong-eun to win the Honda Classic on Sunday, just six months after undergoing cancer surgery.
Sabbatini, who had an operation to remove skin cancer from his face in September, made a level-par 70 to finish nine under par overall, one stroke clear of Yang who closed with an impressive 66.Texas-based Sabbatini, who now plays in a cowboy hat to protect himself from the sun, has not won since clinching the Byron Nelson almost two years ago.
"Every win feels like the first one...but this one certainly is very special...it feels like turning over a new leaf," he told reporters.
"Y.E. (Yang) is a fantastic competitor....like a bulldog he`s not going to let you get away easily. I had to remind myself to be patient."
The South Korean, made his push with birdies on the 13th, 15th while Sabbatini wobbled with a bogey on the 14th before recovering with a birdie on the 16th.
Just after Sabbatini put his tee-shot on the difficult par-three 17th safely on to the green, the horn blew to suspend play due to lightning in the area.
After a 28-minute break, play resumed and with both players making par Sabbatini had a two-shot lead going into the par-five 18th.
Yang went for bust, searching for an eagle that would have taken the battle into a playoff, but going for the green with his second shot he found the bunker.
The South Korean, winner of the PGA Championship in 2009, made birdie to put last-gasp pressure on Sabbatini but the South African kept his cool to make par and secure his sixth PGA title.
"I have to commend him for being so emotionally stable, I certainly wasn`t," Yang told reporters."I really tried to force it to a playoff but Rory had the upper-hand psychologically and technically. He was outstanding and there is only so much you can do," he said.
US Open champion Graeme McDowell had the best round of the day, the Northern Irishman equalling the course record set by Sabbatini earlier in the week with a superb 64 that took him into a share of sixth place.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.