First, there was a saved par on 16, after he missed the fairway and hit into a bunker. Then, a 15-foot birdie putt on 17, after a fearless 7-iron, with the water sitting there, staring him in the face, perfectly able to swallow his chances. “That was one of the best golf shots I’ve probably ever hit in my life,” he said. “That shot, I’ll never forget that vision in my head.”
On his way to the 17th green, he tried to wolf down a quick snack. “I started coughing, and I was like, 'Am I really going to choke? Is this the sign to come?'”
No, it wasn’t a sign.
By 18, with a three-shot lead and the crowd chanting “J.T! J.T!” the work was nearly done. He finished with a play-it-safe bogey for a 68. The young man who once got a Jack Nicklaus autograph now has his name on the same trophy.
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