NORTON, Mass. — Webb Simpson, a PGA Tour winner for the first time just three weeks ago in the Wyndham Championship, figured his next win would be easier. It was more work than he could have imagined Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
He had to make three par saves in the middle of the back nine just to stay in the game. He had to make a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 6-under-par 65, which got him into a playoff only when Chez Reavie (66—269) finished with a bogey on the easiest hole at the TPC Boston.
Simpson made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th in the playoff after Reavie chipped to within tap-in birdie range. Simpson completed his comeback with an 8-foot birdie on the second extra hole at No. 17 to win the FedEx Cup’s second playoff event and move to No. 1 in the standings, giving him a clear shot at the $10 million prize.
“I told somebody early this week that I feel like next time I was in contention, it’ll be a lot easier than Greensboro,” Simpson said. “And it wasn’t that way at all. It was just as hard. The shots and the putts were just as hard. I think it helped calm me down a little, but it was like I had never won a golf tournament before.”
Argentina remains undefeated; Sosa injured
MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — Luis Scola of the Houston Rockets scored 22 points and Argentina beat Canada 79-53 to remain the only unbeaten team in the second round of the Olympic basketball qualifying tournament for the Americas.
Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Brazil also won on a day marred by a serious injury to former Louisville guard Edgar Sosa of Dominican Republic.
With 37.9 seconds left in Dominican Republic’s 92-68 victory over Panama, Sosa broke his right leg. He is expected to be out for at least six months.
Sosa was injured when he fell among a pack of players under the basket. Both of his lower right leg bones appeared to have snapped, leaving his leg bent at a grotesque angle.
“We are destroyed,” team spokesman Leo Lopez said. “He leaves a difficult void to fill, both as a player and as a person.”
Footnotes.
Guard J.T. Terrell, who averaged 11 points and started 18-of-32 games as a freshman last season, is withdrawing from Wake Forest after he was charged with driving while impaired.
• Antron Brown beat Del Worsham to win the top fuel competition, and Mike Neff (funny car), Greg Anderson (pro stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (pro stock motorcycle) won their respective divisions at the U.S. Nationals in Clermont, Ind.
