Taylor Moore secured his first career triumph on PGA TOUR following a tense finish at the Valspar Championship.
The American carded a four-under 67 to finish 10-under before facing anxious wait to see if any of his rivals could match his total but that was not the case as the 29-year-old secured his first PGA TOUR win at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course on his 46th start.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Moore, 29, told NBC. “I was just in compete mode and just watching the guys finish, maybe in a play-off, maybe not, and it’s so cool.
“It’s so awesome, it’s what I work for and I’m really excited not just for me but for everyone around me. It’s a cool moment.”
The competition had an impressive field with the likes of Adam Schenk, who led the competition going into the final day, and England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who was a shot behind. Schenk required a par on the 18th to cause a play-off but he saw his 41-foot putt attempt roll past the hole with excessive speed.
Fleetwood, who was also looking for his first ever PGA TOUR win, established himself into a share of the lead after hitting a birdie on the par-five 11th but a bogey on the 14th left the 32-year-old two shots behind the lead, virtually ending his chances of victory.
Three-time major winner, Jordan Spieth, had also been tied for the lead however, a drive on the 16th which found the water left him to only salvage a bogey and keep his chances of victory just about afloat. But agonisingly, Spieth missed a birdie putt from six feet on the next hole despite hitting one of the best tee shots of the tournament to set himself up for the birdie opportunity.
Wyndham Clark completed the top five finishing on 6-under.
The next events on the PGA TOUR are the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship and the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play between March 22 – 26.