SPIETH SECURES ‘BUCKET LIST’ WIN AT PEBBLE BEACH

Speith had the luxury of celebrating the win long before he reached the 18th green at Pebble Beach
Speith had the luxury of celebrating the win long before he reached the 18th green at Pebble Beach

Jordan Spieth won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am by four shots for his ninth PGA Tour title in just 100 starts.

The two-time major winner carded a two-under-par 70 at the iconic Californian course to finish on 19-under par.

The 23-year-old Texan, who had led since the halfway stage, hit two birdies in his bogey-free final round, including one from 30 feet on the par-three 17th. He managed to play the final 28 holes of the tournament without a bogey.

“This is a bucket-list place to win,” said Spieth, who made his major breakthrough at the Masters in 2015. “Here, Augusta National, St Andrews, I mean there’s only a few in the world, it feels really special, it was amazing walking up the 18th green knowing that I was going to win. It’s just such a unique position, I tried to soak it in.”

The world No.6 added: “I don’t like playing boring golf, but that’s what was needed and that’s how we closed it out. I could afford to make a couple of mistakes if I needed to, but fortunately I didn’t and managed to stay ahead. It was just kind of a dream round when you are leading by a bunch.”

American Kelly Kraft finished alone in second on 15 under, with Dustin Johnson third on 14 under, and world No.1 Jason Day a further shot back in fourth. Luke Donald was the highest placed Briton, tied for 23rd on six under, two shots ahead of Justin Rose.