(Reuters) – American Keegan Bradley sealed his first PGA Tour victory in four years with a one-stroke win at the Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan as overnight leader Rickie Fowler faded in the final round on Sunday.
Bradley closed with a two-under 68 — 15-under overall — to finish ahead of compatriots Fowler and Andrew Putnam, who shared second place on a see-sawing day of action.
Fowler came into the fourth round at the Narashino Country Club at 14-under for a one-shot advantage over Bradley and two strokes on Putnam, but he was unable to end a three-year PGA title drought at the Tour’s only event in Japan.
The trio all grabbed the lead at different stages on Sunday but Bradley went two clear with 20-foot birdie putt at the 11th hole before Putnam set up a potentially thrilling finish after catching up with him on the 16th.
But Bradley went two clear heading into the final hole with a clutch birdie on the difficult 17th as Putnam faltered and the 36-year-old held his nerve thereafter to claim the fifth tournament victory of his career.
Fowler’s hopes of claiming a sixth PGA Tour victory faded when he bogeyed the 15th before squandering the opportunity to claim a birdie in the next with another disappointing putt. A late flourish on the 18th earned him a share of second place.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
