A Real Nail Biter as the
Chubb Classic came to a close!
Story and Photos: Beverly and Greg Wise
Ignite Golf Network
NAPLES, FL– With 4-players at the top of the leaderboard with a shot at grabbing the golden ring. Only one… David Toms… executed the major shot that vaulted him to a one-shot victory on the 18th green and took home the title at the Chubb Classic presented by Servpro, a the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
Mother Nature Influenced the Final Day
With the winds up on Sunday, players had to make some major adjustments to you game plan if you were going to survive the day and have a shot at the championship.
Toms second-round 9-under 63 set him up for a final run at the Chubb Classic Championship with a 3-stroke lead to start the final round. Toms got off to a rocky start Sunday with double bogeys at Nos. 4 and 6. Mixed in on the front-nine birdies at 1,4, and 5.
“I pulled my back on the second hole today with a 7-iron from the middle of the fairway,” said Toms. “After I hit my tee shot on No. 6, I honestly thought I was going to pack it in. There were a lot of spasms…something I’ve had before. But, I started walking and just trying to stretch a little bit and it got better.”
Tying Toms with a birdie on 16, Boo Weekley was heading to the final 2-holes with a chance to win. Facing a tough shot from the rough on 18, Weekley ended up just outside the right-side bunker with a chance to take a 2-stroke lead if he chipped in for an Eagle. A tough lie came out hot and rounded about 3 feet past the cup. Missing the putt… Weekley was in the clubhouse with a share of the lead at 12-under par.
Defending Champion, Justin Leonard came to the final hole at 11-under, one shot back of Toms and Weekley. From the left-hand bunker, Leonard’s third shot from the bunker came to rest with a sure putt for a birdie. Now there were 3-way tied at the top of the leaderboard.
The final group with David Toms at 12-under, tied at the top of the leaderboard, and Michael Wright at 11-under were poised for their 2nd shots to the par 5, 18th green. Toms went into the left-hand bunker and Wright’s ball came to rest in the right-hand bunker.
Toms was first to hit from the green side bunker and as he watched it roll out… we all thought it was going in for an eagle. The ball came to rest about 2” below the hole, guaranteeing Toms a finish at 13-under. Wright seeing the shot come to a rest with a kick in birdie, had no choice but to go for the cup in order to tie Toms at 13-under with an eagle.
An aggressive bunker shot was hit by Wright, but the ball landed just to the right of the cup and Toms realized that he had won the Chubb Classic presented by Servpro and the check for $270,000.
LEADERBOARD
David Toms -13 67-63-73
Boo Weekley -12 70-67-67
Justin Leonard -12 66-68-70
Michael Wright -12 65-68-71
George McNeill – 9 70-69-68
Alex Cejka – 9 67-69-71
Beverly Wise and Greg Wise have been traveling the world, playing and writing about their golf experiences as “Golf the Wise Way,” and submitting to numerous publications.
Greg has played golf for more than 60 years and truly believes that “a picture is worth a thousand words…” so, Beverly and Greg both excel in getting the right photos to enhance their stories.
