Australian golf star Cam Davis has held his nerve to claim his second PGA Tour win with a dramatic one-shot victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
An emotional Davis was reduced to tears after winning the tournament for the second time in three years with a final-round two-under-par 70.
American prodigy Akshay Bhatia had the chance to force a sudden-death playoff, but three-putted the last hole in a Sunday 72.
The 29-year-old Davis prevailed with the same 18-under-par total he won with in a three-man playoff in 2021.
The victory continues a roller-coaster season for the Sydneysider, who confessed to turning to a hypnotherapist to try to revive his fortunes.
Davis missed the US Open cut two weeks ago and hasn’t finished higher than tied for 38th in seven events since sharing 12th at the Masters in April.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ he said through tears.
‘From where I was a couple of weeks to go to today, it’s just a completely different person.
Cam Davis (pictured) broke down while being interviewed after winning the PGA event
‘I wouldn’t wish what happened to Akshay on anyone, but I’ve done a lot of grinding to kind of get myself out of a hole and to just all of a sudden do that, that’s pretty good.
‘I started working with a hypnotherapist a few weeks ago, just to take another angle into trying to get myself sorted out, and (she) has done an awesome job.
‘I’ve got so many people behind me that have helped me along the way … a lot of support to get me out of the doldrums there, and I saw a little bit of a spark last week but nothing to show this coming.
‘So this is crazy.’
Chasing a maiden PGA Tour win of his own, fellow Australian Min Woo Lee seized a share of the lead late with two electrifying chip-in birdies, only to bogey the last hole and miss a playoff by one shot.
Lee had to settle for a share of second with Bhatia, fellow American Davis Thompson (68) and England’s Aaron Rai (72) after closing with a 69.
It’s the Aussie’s second PGA Tour event win, three years after his first at the same event
The win continues a roller-coaster season for the Sydneysider, who confessed to turning to a hypnotherapist to try to revive his fortunes
Lee lamented three-putting from inside 10 feet en route to a double-bogey seven on the par-5 seventh hole, then over-clubbing his approach at the 18th while pressing hard for a seventh birdie of the day.
‘I had a really good chance there, again. I needed to play aggressive,’ he said.
‘Unlucky with the bogey on the last, but I played really good, but there’s a lot of things that I need to work on to get it to the next level.
‘But I’m very happy with the week.’
Bhatia had been bidding to join Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Tom Kim as only the sixth player in 40 years to win three times on tour before the age of 23.
Alas, his 72nd-hole slip-up was only his second bogey of the week.
