Sang-Moon executed a low-trajectory, high-spin shot en route to victory. (Pennington/Getty Images)

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM

Lord Byron‘s event at TPC Four Seasons always attracts a stellar field as the PGA TOUR’s finest travel to the Lone Star State to pay homage to one of golf’s greatest champions and finest men.

The course layout is demanding from tee to green and play is normally defined by the warm and gusty North Texas winds. Hence it is those players who can flight the ball and control their shot trajectory (and make putts) who normally prevail around the firm and fast course conditions. This year, however, a band of severe Wednesday night thunderstorms changed the personality of the course and the first round became a birdie-fest with Keegan Bradley leading the assault on par with a 10-under 60.

The winds kicked up over the next three rounds and scoring became tougher. In the end it boiled down to a battle between the two members of the final Sunday pairing, Sang-Moon Bae and Bradley.

Both combatants were tied at 12 under as they headed up the par-5 16th. After getting their second shots into position, Bae faced an uphill pitch from about 40 yards and Bradley faced a pitch of about 50 feet from right of the green. Bae drove a low-spinning wedge into the green which gripped and spun back to about 5 feet from the cup. Not to be outdone, the gusty Bradley clipped a low and aggressive spinning wedge shot to just inside of his playing partner. Both shots were absolutely gorgeous and certainly worth learning how to play.

How to play the low, spinning wedge shot:

This shot starts at address. Move the ball back to around the middle of the stance and favor your lead foot (left for right-handers) as you set the bulk of your weight there. Lean the shaft slightly to the left (for righties) as you set your hands a little ahead of the clubface and the ball.

As you make your backswing, hinge your wrists up to steepen the shaft plane which will assist you to make a crisp, descending strike. It is recommendable to make a slightly shorter backswing as this will give you the freedom to accelerate through impact without the fear of the shot going too far.

Begin your downswing by rotating your lower body back to the left and swing your arms down through impact with the lead arm closer to the body and the left hand leading the clubface through impact. That lead hand should retain control of the action throughout the delivery so that the trail hand does not shut down the clubface. Once contact has been made, swing and extend the arms past the body into a shorter, balanced follow-through. Once again, the lead arm and hand should dominate the delivery and holding the club a little tighter with the last three fingers of the left hand will certainly help.
Get out and practice this shot; it will surely shave strokes off your score.

Good luck

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

Joe Cowart recaps Sang-Moon Bae's victory and all the news from 2013 HP Byron Nelson Championship.

Watch Bradley birdie the par-4 15th in Sunday's final round.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas -- Keegan Bradley was hoping to go wire-to-wire this week at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. The disappointment of not being able to finish a job that started with a course-record 60 on Thursday stings, but he'll eventually look at the positives from nearly winning his second title at TPC Four Seasons Resort.

"Coming in second is great, which I'll love tomorrow," Bradley said after his final-round 2-over 72 left him at 11 under, two shots shy of Sang-Moon Bae's winning total. "Right now it's a little disappointing."

Bradley entered the final round with a one-shot lead over his playing partner Bae, fell behind by four shots early, then rallied to share the lead after making a putt from inside 18 feet at the 15th hole.

"I hung in there. I chipped away," Bradley said. "I was down four early on. I chipped away and got it back to even with four to play, which is all that I could have asked for. When I made that putt on 15, I was pretty confident that I was going to win this tournament."

But Bae made his short birdie putt on the par-5 16th while Bradley missed his from inside 4 feet. Bradley then bogeyed the 17th to cost himself a chance to win on the 18th.

"I love being in contention so I figured if I could hang and hang and hang, somehow I would find a way," Bradley said. "But just that putt on 16 was the end of it."

Sang-Moon Bae captured his first PGA TOUR victory after a final-round 69 at the HP Byron Nelson on Sunday.
(Pennington/Getty Images)

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas -- Sang-Moon Bae surged to the lead on the front nine, battled swing issues in the middle of his round, and fought off playing partner Keegan Bradley down the stretch to win the HP Byron Nelson Championship on Sunday at the TPC Four Seasons Resort.

For the 26-year-old Korean, it's his first PGA TOUR win in his second season on TOUR. With 500 FedExCup points, Bae moves from 95th to 18th in the standings. He also becomes just the fifth Korean player to win a TOUR event.

Bae shot a final-round 1-under 69 to finish at 13 under, with Bradley shooting a 2-over 72 for 12 under. Charl Schwartzel was third at 10 under, with Justin Bolli, after a bogey-free 65, in solo fourth.

Bae is the third first-time TOUR winner in the last four weeks on TOUR (Billy Horschel and Derek Ernst the other two) and the eighth first-time winner of the season.

"The course was really tough," Bae said. "The winds were very strong. I did very well this week."

Bae and Bradley were tied going to the par-5 15th. After both players hit excellent third shots, Bae made his birdie putt from 5 feet, 3 inches, while Bradley -- on the same line -- saw his birdie putt from 3 feet, 11 inches horseshoe out.

"I wouldn't have hit the putt any different," Bradley said. "It's surprising to miss like that."

It was the second par for Bradley on TPC Four Seasons two par 5s on Sunday, as he also parred the seventh hole. Through the first 54 holes, Bradley had posted five birdies and one eagle on those two par 5s and had led the field in par-5 scoring.

Bradley had also led the tournament for the first three rounds, seeking to win his second HP Byron Nelson title and fourth TOUR event. He entered Sunday leading Bae by one shot, but saw that lead quickly disappear.

"I'm pretty disappointed but Moon played very well," Bradley said. "He played better than me today, so I'm happy for him."

Bae posted four birdies in his first eight holes while Bradley bogeyed the par-4 third. When Bae walked off the eighth green, he had a four-stroke lead.

But he double-bogeyed the ninth and bogeyed the 10th. When he bogeyed the 15th while Bradley posted his first birdie of the day, the two were now co-leaders.

Just as quickly, though, Bae went back in front at the 16th when Bradley's putt lipped out.

Sang-Moon Bae carded a final-round 69, coming from behind to win the HP Byron Nelson Championship on Sunday for his first PGA TOUR victory.

Want to congratulate Bae? Leave a note in the comments section below and we'll deliver it to him.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas -- It took 15 holes, but Keegan Bradley finally has made a birdie in Sunday's final round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

And now he has regained a share of the lead heading to the final three holes.

Bradley's birdie putt from 17 feet, 7 inches at the par-4 15th was set up with a great approach shot and moved him to 12 under. Tournament leader Sang-Moon Bae then followed by seeing his par putt from 4 feet, 8 inches lip out, dropping him to 12 under and into a tie with Bradley.

Bae had led playing partner Bradley by four shots through eight holes, but a double bogey at the ninth brought him back to the pack. Bradley had suffered two bogeys with no birdies through his first 14 holes before making the birdie putt, which he followed with a fist pump.

Charl Schwartzel continues to hang around and is only one shot off the lead going to his final hole of the day.

IRVING, Texas -- Sang-Moon Bae hit his approach shot from 132 yards at the par-4 sixth to within 5 feet to set up his birdie putt in the final round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

Bae currently leads Keegan Bradley by two shots through 13 holes Sunday.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas -- Sang-Moon Bae was in control of the HP Byron Nelson Championship after eight holes on Sunday. But as the final group makes the turn, it might be Keegan Bradley who has the momentum.

Bae was enjoying a four-shot lead thanks to a superb putting display early Sunday. But an errant tee shot, followed by an approach shot that found the water, left him with a double bogey at the par-4 ninth.

Meanwhile, Bradley -- the 54-hole leader who had seen Bae sprint past him on the front nine -- made a clutch 14-1/2 foot par-saving putt that left him pumping his fist after the ball dropped. That left Bradley at 12 under while Bae dropped to 14 under.

Bae made putts of 26 feet, 7 inches at the third; 22 feet, 1 inche at the fifth; and 11 feet, 4 inches at the eighth to grab the lead. The second-year pro is seeking his first PGA TOUR win.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas -- Jason Dufner was hoping a return to the TPC Four Seasons Resort, where he won the HP Byron Nelson Championship a year ago, would jump-start his season.

It didn't happen.

Dufner finished a frustrating four days at 1 under and will leave Las Colinas still seeking his first top-10 of the season. Dufner's best finish this year in 12 starts is a tie for 12th at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.

"It's just not much fun playing golf right now the way I'm playing," said Dufner, who is scheduled to play in next week's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, where he finished second last year to Zach Johnson.

Dufner hit just 46.4 percent of his fairways this week, includng five of 14 on Sunday. He also struggled with his putting, needing 123 putts over the four rounds.

Asked what his main issues are, Dufner replied, "Pretty much everything.

"Can't score, so that's the name of the game out here. You got to make birdies and save pars when you can, and I can't do it, so very frustrating time for me right now, golf-wise."

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas -- With the final twosome of tournament leader Sang-Moon Bae and Keegan Bradley soon to make the turn, here is how the top three players currently on the HP Byron Nelson Championship leaderboard have fared on the back nine in the first three rounds.