Baddeley steps over stumbling Quinney to capture FBR Open  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Aaron Baddeley birdied three of the final four holes and took advantage of Jeff Quinney's late stumble Sunday for a one-stroke victory in the FBR Open.  Aaron Baddeley is the first player in his 20s to win on the PGA TOUR in 2007. (Marc Feldman/ WireImage)
It was a dramatic late turnaround for two golfers who are virtually neighbors in north Scottsdale. Baddeley trailed Quinney by three shots with four holes to go but birdied the 15th, 16th and 17th holes en route to his second PGA TOUR victory. The 26-year-old Australian, who also has U.S. citizenship, won the Verizon Heritage last year. "I'm sure Jeff is disappointed with the way he finished, but I was just trying to put pressure on him towards the end," Baddeley said. "When I got three back, I was really just thinking if I can be one back playing the last hole, I've got a chance." As it turned out, he was one-up with one hole to go. Quinney, a PGA TOUR rookie after five seasons on the Nationwide Tour, had led since late in the second round but bogeyed the final two holes, marking the third straight tournament he has led or shared the lead in the last round but failed to win. His misery began when his tee shot splashed into the water at the 332-yard, par-4 17th. After his drop, his third shot landed just 4 feet from the cup, but he missed the short putt for a bogey. Baddeley, meanwhile, rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th to go from one shot behind to one ahead. "That was probably one of the best putts I hit all week," he said. Baddeley shot his second consecutive 7-under 64 to finish at 21-under 196. John Rollins tied the best round of the week at 63 and was second at 20 under, one shot ahead of Quinney (68). Bart Bryant was 18 under and Billy Mayfair followed at 17 under. "You knew a lot of birdies were going to be flying," Rollins said. "The weather was perfect, the golf course has been fantastic all week. You just knew you had to make a bunch of birdies." Baddeley earned $1.08 million for the victory under bright sunshine at the TPC Scottsdale. A record Sunday crowd of 93,475 watched the final round, bringing the total for a weeklong total of 507,990, shy of last year's record 536,767. Quinney tried to be satisfied with his third consecutive top-seven finish. "I'm just going to look back and learn a few things this week," he said. "I mean, if you would have told me this a couple of weeks ago, that I've made whatever amount of money I made, I'd take that in a second." Quinney had led or tied for the lead in the last two tournaments, only to wither at crunch time. It was even worse Sunday. Going from first to third cost him $672,000 in prize money. "You know, I'm still a very confident player," he said. "I'm not going to let this bring me down at all. I can learn from it and just get better next time." Baddeley sank a 9-footer for birdie to tie Quinney at 19 under, but only for an instant on the 595-yard 13th. Quinney, playing in the same group, hit a bunker shot four feet from the cup, then made it for a birdie to regain a one-stroke lead. On the 477-yard, par-4 14th, Quinney made a 6-footer for birdie go to 21 under, and Baddeley ended a string of 35 consecutive holes without a bogey after his tee shot went into a bunker. His second shot sailed left into the deep rough, with a sand trap between him and the green. He ended up missing a 34-footer for par. Quinney missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 15th. Quinney played for Arizona State, and had Sun Devils fans behind him all day. Meanwhile, Baddeley had friends and family wearing T-shirts that read "Bad's Brigade." His sister-in-law made them Saturday night. Heath Slocum had a hole-in-one with a 7-iron on the 175-yard fourth hole. It was his first on the PGA TOUR and fifth on the tour overall this season. He finished sixth at 16 under. Divots: Bubba Watson was booed roundly on the notoriously rowdy 16th hole after missing the green. He responded by waving to the crowd with both hands, then running along the stands throwing golf visors to the fans. ... Next year's FBR Open also will end on a Sunday, even with the Super Bowl just down the road in Glendale. Tournament officials decided not to reschedule for a Saturday final round, something they did when the Super Bowl was in Tempe in 1996. Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. |
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