Biggest Winners and Losers from the McGladrey Classic
Robert Streb fired a seven-under 63 during the final round of the McGladrey Classic.
He topped the brilliant play during his final 18 holes with an 8-iron that rolled to four feet on the second hole of a three-man playoff. The resulting birdie putt won the Oklahoma native his first PGA Tour event.
Who else joined Mr. Streb as a winner this week?
Click through to see.
Winner: Russell Henley's Beard
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Prior to the McGladrey Classic, Henley hadn't teed it up since the Tour Championship five weeks ago.
From the looks of his play this week, Henley spent the time practicing...and growing a beard.
"I got a little bit bored not doing anything the last five weeks, so I decided to grow a little bit of a beard," Henley told PGATour.com after his second round.
Loser: Russell Henley on the Weekend
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Russell Henley fired an inspired second-round 63 to vault to the top of the leaderboard.
He was unable to come close to reprising the performance on the weekend though, firing rounds of 68, 69 to finish tied for fourth.
While his weekend play wasn't atrocious by any means, the three players who made it into the playoff to decide the McGladrey had low weekend rounds of 63, 65 and 65. Translation, Henley didn't get the job done over the final two rounds.
Winners: Georgia Bulldogs
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After two rounds at the McGladrey Classic, four former University of Georgia golfers were inside the top 10: Russell Henley, Brian Harman, Chris Kirk and Erik Compton.
Last year's winner at the McGladrey, Chris Kirk, is a UGA alum. His fellow Bulldogs were charging hard heading into the weekend.
Kirk himself made a move on Saturday with an impressive 66.
Here's how the 'Dogs finished:
- Henley: T4
- Harman: T41
- Kirk: T4
- Compton: T48
Georgia Bulldogs have done pretty well for themselves on the PGA Tour lately.
Last season, University of Georgia graduates won eight events on the PGA Tour: Chris Kirk (2), Bubba Watson (2), Russell Henley, Harris English, Brendon Todd and Brian Harman. Patrick Reed, who played one year at Georgia, won two times.
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Loser: Anyone Expecting Robert Streb to Fold in the Playoff
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When Robert Streb, Will MacKenzie and Brendon de Jonge found themselves in a three-man playoff to decide the winner of the McGladrey Classic, the odds were stacked against the 27-year-old Streb.
Streb has been playing the majority of his golf on the "big tour" for the past two years. MacKenzie and De Jonge have spent the better part of the last 10 seasons competing at golf's highest level.
In the playoff, Streb rode the momentum of his final-round 63 to a birdie two on the second playoff hole, defeating the tour veterans. Thus, if you bet against Streb continuing the hot streak that saw him birdie four of his final five holes, you were a loser Sunday.
Winner: Stewart Cink
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Stewart Cink hasn't played his best golf in recent years. The 2009 Open Champion has slid significantly in the Official World Golf Ranking since occupying the top 10 in 2009 and 2010.
He made 21 of 25 cuts last season, but tallied just six top-25 finishes. Cink began his 2014-2015 season last week, tying for 33rd at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
At the McGladrey Classic Saturday, Cink fired a brilliant 63 that included eight birdies to move into striking distance of leaders Andrew Svoboda and Will MacKenzie.
Cink finished tied for 32nd after a disappointing final-round 73.
Losers: MDFers
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MDF: Made cut didn't finish. The casual golf fan may not be familiar with the acronym or its meaning, but you can bet the players unlucky enough to earn the designation don't have any love for the secondary cut.
What's "MDF"? As Bob Harig of ESPN wrote in 2008, "in an effort to keep field sizes smaller, the PGA Tour Policy Board enacted a new rule: The top 70 and ties still make the cut. But if the cut exceeds 78 players, only the number nearest to 70 continues in the tournament."
Players don't have the opportunity to play the final round and improve their lots and are all paid a nominal sum.
At the McGladrey, 17 players (including Charles Howell III pictured above) made the cut but didn't finish. It's the 2008 Policy Board with their decision to enact a silly rule that players hate that's the real loser here.
Winner: Andy Pope
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Monday qualifier Andy Pope was the only one of the four qualifiers to make the cut at the McGladrey Classic. A second-round 66 placed him a few strokes inside the cut line, thus ensuring he'd collect a paycheck for his troubles in Georgia.
Any time a golfer can cash in when he has to Monday qualify, it's a huge victory. Pope finished tied for 63rd after firing two rounds of 70 on the weekend.
Loser: Zach Johnson
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Fellow Team McGladrey member, Zach Johnson didn't fare nearly as well as Davis Love III in Georgia. He shot 71, 74 to miss the cut by three strokes. Johnson finished tied for 16th at the McGladrey last year, so the missed cut is a disappointment.
Johnson didn't impress at the Ryder Cup, going 0-2-1, and a missed cut in his first start of the season isn't the way the 15th-ranked golfer in the world wanted to begin his 2014-2015 campaign.
Winner: Davis Love III
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Davis Love III's Davis Love Foundation is the host organization for the McGladrey Classic and its chief charitable beneficiary.
Love's organization "contributes to the well-being and progress of society by supporting both national and community-based programs that focus on children and their families," according to the organization's website.
DLIII hadn't made the cut at the McGladrey since 2012, but the tournament host managed to get the job done this year. He finished tied for 41st.
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