SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — After not being able to score under par on the 18th hole all week, former UK golfer J.B. Holmes came up with a birdie on the 18th hole to force a playoff and then outlasted PGA Tour veteran Phil Mickelson in a one-hole playoff, claiming the 2008 FBR Open, on Sunday afternoon at the TPC Scottsdale.
Holmes, who claimed the FBR Open for the second time in three years, played in front of PGA Tour record-breaking crowds that totaled 538,356 over the four-day weekend.
Starting the day with a four-stroke lead, Holmes found himself one stroke down going into the last hole of day. After hitting his monster 350-yard drive against a fence line on the left-hand side of the fairway, Holmes was allowed a drop and landed his second shot on the green, setting up a dramatic 13-foot putt. With a keen eye, Holmes nailed the putt to give him a final score 14-under par 270 (68, 65, 66, 71) for the week and forcing the playoff with Mickelson.
?I felt like I had the advantage,” Holmes said. “I could hit it over the bunker. He’d been sitting in the clubhouse. I was loose. I was ready. The hole favors me, no reason I didn’t win.”
All Holmes needed in the playoff was one hole to put away Mickelson to get the second victory of his PGA career. Holmes teed up on the 18th hole for the second time of the day and after a 359-yard drive, a short approach set up an eight-foot birdie putt, which Holmes sank for the win. The win allowed Holmes, 25, to take home a hefty $1.08 million dollar paycheck.
?Starting the day, I would have gladly taken getting into a playoff,? Mickleson said. ?But I?ve got to give J.B. a lot of credit for birdieing the last hole and birdieing again to get in the playoff. That?s pretty impressive golf.?
After an excellent college career Holmes kicked off his PGA career in 2006 when he won his inaugural professional tournament at the same FBR Open event he is playing in now, becoming only the ninth player in PGA history to open their tour career with a tournament victory. In 2006, he shot a 14-under par to win the event, firing his professional career-best 64 in the second round. He has also had four top-10 finishes since joining the PGA and has become a multi-million dollar earner on the tour.
“Sunday at the FBR Open was a great day for J.B. Holmes and the entire Big Blue Nation,” said Kentucky head coach Brian Craig. “J.B. is a tremendous champion and truly has the heart and courage of a lion. It was also terrific to see that big, beautiful ‘UK’ on his golf bag as he took down the 2nd ranked player in the world.”
Holmes?s stellar college career included earning All-Southeastern Conference honors in 2002, 2003 and 2004, as well as being named the SEC Golfer of the Year in 2005 after helping lead the Wildcats to a SEC Championship that year. During his time at Kentucky, Holmes was also honored as the team MVP every year of his collegiate career. While in college, Holmes was also a consistent performer in the classroom, becoming an academic All-American in 2005 and he was on the Academic All-SEC team from 2002-2005.
