Norrman beats Kimsey in the playoff for PGA Barbasol title

Sweden’s Vincent Norrman won a playoff over England’s Nathan Kimsey with a par on the first extra hole Sunday to capture the US PGA Tour Barbasol Championship.
The 25-year-old from Stockholm sank a clutch seven-foot bogey putt on the 18th hole in regulation just to force a playoff, then pitched from the rough to two feet in the playoff and made a par putt for the victory.
“I don’t think I can process this for a while. I’m at a loss for words,” Norrman said. “It’s even beyond (a dream). I don’t think I’ve dreamt this big yet honestly. It’s amazing.”
Norrman fired a six-under par 66 to finish alongside Kimsey on 22-under 266 after 72 holes at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
The US PGA Tour rookie claimed his first title in only is 23rd tour start, the 286th-ranked standout booking a place in next week’s British Open.
Norrman, whose best prior PGA result was a share of eighth in May at the Byron Nelson, wasn’t sure how the triumph would alter his goals and plans.
“We’re going to figure that out tomorrow,” he said.
Norrman led Kimsey by one at the 18th tee but his first two shots found the left rough. Then Norrman blasted over the green, pitched to just outside seven feet and saw his bogey putt catch the right edge and fall in to force a playoff.
“I just hit it left off the tee and I had a terrible lie,” Norrman said. “It was an impossible shot, I felt like. That was a really good bogey.”
The playoff began at the par-4 18th with Norrman finding right greenside rough and Kimsey a left greenside bunker.
Kimsey blasted out to 15 feet while Norrman pitched to two feet. Kimsey two-putted for bogey and Norrman tapped in moments later for the victory.
“Have a chance to win a PGA Tour event, I can’t complain really,” Kimsey said. “I feel like I barely missed a shot all day, holed a few nice putts and did a really good job of executing the whole back nine.”
Kimsey, a 30-year-old Englishman who plays on the DP World Tour, missed a chance to become the first player since American Jim Benepe at the 1988 Western Open to win in his PGA Tour debut.
US rookie Trevor Cone, who made double bogey at the par-3 16th and missed a 12-foot birdie putt at 18 to miss the playoff, settled for a share of third with France’s Adrien Saddier on 267. Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open champion, fired his 12th consecutive round in the 60s with a 68 to finish fifth on 268 with Canada’s Taylor Pendrith sixth on 269.
Linn Grant cruises to finish line, wins Dana Open
for first LPGA titleLinn Grant of Sweden capped off a memorable week at the Dana Open by capturing her first LPGA title on Sunday in Sylvania, Ohio.
Grant, 24, shot a 3-under 68 in the final round to post the winning score of 21-under 263 at Highland Meadows Golf Club, three shots ahead of runner-up Allisen Corpuz. Grant entered the day with a six-stroke lead after firing a 62 in the third round.
Grant has won five times on the Ladies European Tour – four times in 2022 and once this past May – but had yet to win stateside.
“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” Grant said on the CBS broadcast.
“I think I’ve imagined this day so many times in so many ways in my own mind. Just being here now, I’m so speechless. At the same time, I feel familiar with the setting for some reason. It’s just so fun.”
After Grant’s third-round 62 featured eight birdies, an eagle and a bogey to help her flirt with a historic 59, she started her final round with seven straight pars before a birdie at the par-3 eighth.
Birdies at the par-4 11th and 13th holes helped offset Grant’s only bogey of the day at the par-3 14th. She held a two-stroke cushion by time she reached the final hole, a par 5, where she two-putted for birdie.
“I (knew) I could be a bit more relaxed, but I also knew that this course is very scorable,” Grant said. “In my mind I was just thinking that someone was going to shoot the same score I did yesterday. Obviously the conditions are a bit tougher today, but that was my game plan and my mindset coming into today.”