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US duo Hardy and Riley combine to win PGA pairs event title / Photo: © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
US duo Hardy and Riley combine to win PGA pairs event title
Americans Nick Hardy and Davis Riley captured their first PGA titles on Sunday, winning the Zurich Classic in record-setting fashion to take the tour's only pairs tournament.
Playing in the foursomes (alternate shot) format in the final round, the US duo combined for a seven-under-par 65 to shoot a tournament-record 30-under 258 at TPC of Louisiana at Avondale.
"This is so special and to share it with one of my best friends out here on tour is a dream come true," Riley said.
The winners broke the old tournament 72-hole record of 259 set last year by reigning Olympic champion Xander Schauffele and fellow American Patrick Cantlay.
"It's pretty surreal, Riley said. "I know the work Nick puts in and I put in and for it to all pay off and share this moment with Nick is pretty cool."
The Americans birdied five of the last eight holes. Riley sank a long putt from off the green at the 17th hole for their fourth birdie in five holes and they combined to par the last to take a strangehold of the crown.
"That's definitely up there," Riley said in ranking his birdie putt at 17 among his best shots. "It was one of those ones I just tried to hit with good speed and just leave Nick a good par putt and I hit it just right and it went in."
Hardy has been friends with Riley since they were 14.
"Really solid down the stretch and it just feels great to close," Hardy said.
"Davis has been so good this week I knew I just needed to play my game and be solid because he has been playing so well and we did that."
Cantlay and Schauffele, ranked fourth and fifth in the world respectively, set the foursomes tournament record with a 63 Friday.
But that mark was matched on Sunday by Canadians Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, who birdied three of the first four holes and seven in a row starting at the par-5 seventh on the way to setting the score to beat at 260.
They settled for second with Americans Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler -- the 54-hole leaders -- finishing third on 261 after a closing 71.
It marked the fifth time Hossler has held a lead entering the final round of a PGA event without winning the title.
Schauffele and Cantlay shared fourth with compatriots Taylor Moore and Matthew NeSmith on 262.
H. Müller--BTZ
