Keegan Bradley only wanted a chance to get into a playoff Sunday at Firestone. All it took was a clutch par, along with a stunning collapse by Jim Furyk, for Bradley to win the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio and wrap up a spot on the Ryder Cup team.
Bradley, the ex-Hopkinton High star, closed with a 6-under-par 64, and the final stroke was the most important — a 15-foot putt to save par from a plugged lie in the bunker.
Furyk, who led for 71 holes and looked solid throughout the final round, chopped up the 18th hole for a double bogey to throw away a chance at his first win since the 2010 Tour Championship. He missed the green from the fairway. His chip with one foot in the sand barely cleared the bunker and stayed in the thick collar. He hit a weak chip to 5 feet, and his bogey putt never had a chance.
Furyk dropped his putter when the ball left his blade. He went from what appeared to be a certain win to a 69 and a tie for second with Steve Stricker, who made four birdies on his last five holes for a 64.
‘‘I’ve got no one to blame but myself,’’ Furyk said. ‘‘There’s no way I should have made more than 5.’’
Bradley won for the first time since last year’s PGA Championship, and now goes to Kiawah Island to defend his title with a lot more confidence.
‘‘I still can’t believe it,’’ said Bradley, who finished with a 13-under 267.
PGA — J.J. Henry won the Reno-Tahoe Open for his second Tour title, beating Brazil’s Alexandre Rocha by a point in the modified Stableford event. Henry finished with 43 points.
Players received 8 points for double eagle, 5 for eagle, 2 for birdie, and 0 for par. They were docked a point for bogey and 3 points for anything worse.
Henry had three birdies on the front nine, then mostly stayed out of trouble on the more difficult back nine. He had four birdies and a bogey for 7 points in the round. Argentina’s Andres Romero was third with 37 points, followed by John Mallinger with 34.
John Daly and Justin Leonard tied for fifth at 33. It was Daly’s best finish since 2005.
Web.com — Ben Kohles won his second straight title since turning professional, closing with a 8-under 62 on Sunday for a three-stroke victory in the Cox Classic at Omaha, Neb.
Kohles, 22, won the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational last week in a playoff in Columbus, Ohio, in his first pro start. He was the first player to win a Web.com title in his pro debut, and is the first to win in his first two tour starts.
Kohles also wrapped up a 2013 PGA Tour card from the Web.com money list, and moved within a victory of a PGA Tour promotion. He earned $117,000 to move into second place on the money list with $261,000, more than enough to finish in the final top 25 and earn a PGA Tour card.
Kohles finished at 24-under 260 at Champions Run.
Champions — Bernhard Langer rallied to win the 3M Championship for the second time in four years, shooting a 10-under 62 to overcome a six-stroke deficit at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn. Langer finished at 18-under 198 for his 15th Champions Tour title. He ended a 24-event victory drought, his longest on the 50-and-over tour.