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John Deere Classic 2019: Dylan Frittelli Wins 1st-Ever PGA Event

Scott Polacek

Dylan Frittelli entered the 2019 John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, without a single top-10 finish in a PGA Tour event on his resume.

He erased that blemish in style.

Frittelli shot a seven-under 64 in Sunday's final round to bring his tournament score to 21 under and two strokes clear of runner-up Russell Henley. The South African hadn't even finished in the top 25 of an event since May's Wells Fargo Championship. 

Here is a look at the rest of the top finishers, while a full leaderboard can be found at PGATour.com.

1. Dylan Frittelli -21

2. Russell Henley -19

3. Andrew Landry -18

T4. Collin Morikawa -17

T4. Chris Stroud -17

T6. Charles Howell III -16

T6. Vaughn Taylor -16

T6. Nick Watney -16

T6. Adam Schenk -16

The stage was set for a dramatic final round when Cameron Tringale and Andrew Landry emerged from moving day on Saturday tied for the lead at 16 under and one stroke ahead of Bill Haas and Adam Schenk.

It appeared as if it would be a four-man race to the finish, but Henley had other ideas when he shot to the top of the leaderboard right out of the gates on his way to a blistering 10-under 61. It was the lowest round of his career and put him temporarily in the lead at 19 under.

The PGA Tour noted he tied for the lowest single-round score on the tour this season and had the lowest final round at the John Deere Classic since 1983. He also set a career high for birdies in a round (10) and throughout a tournament (28).

It was all about the putter for the runner-up, as he drained six putts from outside seven feet and one from 46 feet away on No. 15.

That was a welcome development for Henley considering he entered the final round a mere 167th in putts per round at 29.43, per his PGA Tour profile.

That lead didn't last for long, though, as Frittelli wasted little time establishing himself as a top contender with birdies on the first three holes. He took the lead for good with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, with the first one coming via chip-in, and there was nothing Henley could do but watch considering he was already in the clubhouse.

They both separated themselves from Tringale, who struggled from the start with two bogeys and zero birdies on the front nine to largely fall out of contention on his way to a plus-two 73.

Playing around par was not the formula for this tournament, which Haas and Schenk found out the hard way after tallying a single birdie and bogey each on the front nine.

A lack of birdies was not the issue for Landry, who posted three on the front nine alone. However, he didn't have the steady consistency on the other holes to hold off Frittelli and Henley, as he bogeyed Nos. 6 and 9.

A birdie on No. 14 kept him temporarily within striking distance and two back, which is more than most could say Sunday.

Still, it was entirely up to Landry and others to make up ground because Frittelli's birdie on No. 11 put him in position where pars the rest of the way would put the onus on the field. That placed additional pressure on the chasers to take chances, and Landry's bogey on No. 15 paired with Frittelli's birdie on No. 17 all but ended the tournament.

While most of the sport's marquee names did not participate in the tournament because they had eyes turned toward The Open Championship (July 18-21), Frittelli impressed with his ability to charge from behind in the early going of his round and then maintain his position with nothing but birdies and pars throughout.

   

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