Steve Flesch fired a course-record 9-under 62 Sunday to win the Ascension Charity Classic in St. Louis by three strokes.
“It was thrilling, and I’m glad the round is over, but I’d really like to keep playing, to be honest with you,” Flesch said.
The Norwood Hills Country Club round record was in jeopardy quickly. Flesch came in under par on three straight holes to begin his round, opening birdie-eagle-birdie.
He added birdies on Nos. 5 and 6, then recorded three more on the back nine to polish off the win and the record. He finished 19-under 194 for the tournament.
“My mind this week was just kind of — I (wasn’t) worrying about a bunch of the minutiae out there,” Flesch said. “I just was playing golf.
“Hitting shots that end up where you kind of are aiming has a lot to do with it, too, but it was nice to actually be in the competition this week and feel like my shots meant something, and I was just dialed in, and I was focused.”
Flesch came into the day having to catch up to co-leader Kevin Sutherland, the only bogey-free player through two rounds.
Sutherland scored two birdies on the front nine Sunday before running into trouble with a bogey on No. 13. He rallied with three birdies over the final five holes, but he couldn’t keep up with Flesch’s hot pace, finishing in second place (16 under) with a final-round 67.
The other Saturday co-leader, Y.E. Yang of South Korea, fell into a tie for third (13 under) with his 1-under 70. He was tied with Brett Quigley, who shot a 3-under 68.
Three golfers tied for fifth at 12 under. Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie shot a 5-under 66, David Toms recorded a 4-under 67 and Ken Duke pocketed a 1-under 70.
Richard Green of Australia (65) and Tim O’Neal (67) tied for eighth at 11 under.
—Field Level Media
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