Danny Willett THREE PUTTS from THREE FEET on 18 to hand Max Homa PGA Tour title
Max Homa chips in for birdie on 18 then watches Danny Willett implode from short range.
Danny Willett sensationally three-putted from three feet at the par-5 18th to hand Max Homa a successful title defence at the Fortinet Championship.
It was the first tournament of the new 2022/23 PGA Tour campaign, and there likely will not be a more dramatic finish for the rest of the season.
More: How much they all won at the Fortinet Championship
Willett stood on the final tee with a one-shot lead on 16-under par and he looked set to wrap up a second career title on the PGA Tour when stuffing his wedge shot from 65 yards into three feet of the cup for birdie.
Things looked even more comfortable for Willett when Homa left his third shot from out of the bunker short of the green.
However, things quickly changed as Homa dramatically chipped in for birdie to heap the pressure on Willett, who still needed to convert his short birdie putt for the win.
Willett could not convert the putt though and his ball lipped out on the left side and trundled out to some five feet.
Time for a playoff back up 18 perhaps?
Unfortunately for the Englishman, his par putt once again lipped out on the left side and it meant he finished one shot back on 15-under par.
WATCH WHAT HAPPENED ON 18 BELOW:
WOW!@MaxHoma23 chips in on 18 to put the pressure on @Danny_Willett.
Willett still has a 4-footer for the win. pic.twitter.com/NnmRBUIGPz— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 18, 2022
Winning is hard.
3 putts from 4 feet and Danny Willett loses by a stroke. pic.twitter.com/mfljIjUAOt— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 18, 2022
The win marks the fifth of Homa's PGA Tour career and it moves him straight to first in the FedEx Cup standings with it being the first event of the new season.
Homa becomes the first player to defend the Fortinet Championship since Brendan Steele in 2017.
The in-form American has also now won four of his last 41 starts on the PGA Tour.
Homa will now head over to Charlotte next week to make his debut in the Presidents Cup where Davis Love's United States are red-hot favourites to defeat Trevor Immelman's International side.
Earlier in the final round, Willett hit the shot of the week around a tree to within 15 feet of the cup on the 14th hole, and he would duly hole the putt to at the time move into the outright lead.
Nerves of steel
An incredible recovery shot from @Danny_Willett slinging it around a tree @FortinetChamp! pic.twitter.com/DXHSFmCGcg— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 18, 2022
The agonising manner of defeat will no doubt be a huge blow for Willett, who was looking to clinch his second title on the PGA Tour and his first since slipping on the famous Green Jacket at the 2016 Masters.
Willett has eight victories to his name on the DP World Tour though, and he will be defending his Alfred Dunhill Links Championship title at St Andrews in two weeks' time.
Rory McIlroy will also be competing at the Home of Golf, alongside a number of LIV Golf rebels.
Elsewhere on the leaderboard at the Fortinet Championship, rookie Taylor Montgomery proved his credentials with an impressive final-round 64 to finish solo third on 13-under par.
Justin Lower and Ben An, who was subjected to a shocking comment by one fan during the week, finished in a tie for fourth on 12-under par.
Rickie Fowler was a further shot back in a tie for sixth on 11-under par, marking his best finish anywhere around the world in 2022.
Fortinet Championhip Final Leaderboard
-16 M Homa (US)
-15 D Willett (Eng)
-13 T Montgomery (US)
-12 J Lower (US), B An (Kor)
Next Page: Why is Greg Norman's tournament still on the PGA Tour schedule this season?!
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