Gay Brings Bermuda Championship to Gainesville
Monday, November 2, 2020

    The battle for Florida college supremacy returned to Gainesville yesterday by virtue of Brian Gay's overtime victory over Wyndham Clark in the $4 million Bermuda Championship.

    For the last couple of years, Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger have kept FSU's Seminoles in the state's forefront, after a couple of years when Billy Horschel and Matt Every had kept Florida's Gators in the lead. Gay's stunning victory in Southampton, Bermuda, put the Gators back on top, at least, temporarily. 

    Prior to this victory, Gay, just two years away from the Champions Tour, had won four PGA Tour events in his long career, but had been blanked since 2013. He had never lost his exemption, however. 

    After Clark birdied the 10th and 11th holes on the Port Royal Golf Course, he led Gay by four strokes and it appeared to be all over. But Clark never made another birdie over the last seven holes, while taking a disastrous bogey on the par-3 16th when he chunked a pitch shot.

    Gay, meanwhile, birdied 12, 14 and 15 to make a huge dent in the lead, but a three-putter on 17 stalled him momentarily and he went to 18 one stroke down. From a tough sidehill lie in the right rough, Gay drilled a gap wedge to within 15 inches of the hole for a birdie to get him to 15 under. A few minutes later Clark missed his putt to win and they were headed for a playoff.  

     Going back to 18, Gay made another good putt for birdie and Clark missed again - handing Gay his fifth victory and a check for $720,000. After missing his first two cuts of the new season, Gay earned 500 FedEx Cup points and moved into ninth place on that list. 

    The lone Seminole in the field, Hank Lebioda, tied for 16th at 8 under, finishing with 4-under 67. After an opening 72, the other Gator, Camilo Villegas, finished with his third straight par-71 and tied for 55th. 

      

 

 

  

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