Golfbet recap: Long-hitting longshot Kevin Yu earns maiden PGA TOUR win in Sanderson Farms Championship playoff

Kevin Yu continued the recent trend at the Sanderson Farms Championship of big hitters prevailing when he rolled in a 15-footer for birdie on the 18th hole to tie for the lead, then added another from 6 feet on the first playoff hole to beat Beau Hossler for his first-ever PGA TOUR victory.

The 26-year-old from Arizona State University, who ranks 23rd this season on TOUR in driving distance, was a triple-digit longshot at BetMGM Sportsbook to get the win pre-tournament. He shot three straight rounds of 66 and went into Sunday trailing leader Keith Mitchell by two shots at 18 under.

Mitchell opened Sunday’s final round as the favorite at +105. Hossler was one shot back and was at +275 to get his first TOUR win. Mitchell was seeking his first win in nearly six years.

Round-by-round odds for Kevin Yu to win Sanderson Farms Championship

• Pre-tournament: +10000
• After Round 1 (trailed by 6): +5000
• After Round 2 (trailed by 3): +2000
• After Round 3 (trailed by 2): +600
• After Round 4 (playoff with Beau Hossler): -110

The final round got going for Yu at No. 8, as he made birdie putts of 15 feet at both Nos. 8 and 9 and made his third birdie in four holes at No. 11. Playing in the final pairing and one group behind Yu, Hossler ran into some problems early on the inward nine with bogeys at Nos. 10 and 13.

Hossler made birdie at No. 17 to tie Mitchell heading to the final hole, while up ahead, Yu made birdie on No. 18 to join a tie for the lead and head to the clubhouse at 23-under.

It was then that the drama kicked in. Hossler pulled his tee ball on No. 18 left and it settled behind a tree. Mitchell left his approach shot on the green but 39 feet from the cup. Mitchell was now -140 to win the golf tournament. Yu was in the clubhouse at +170 and Hossler had dipped to +700.

Hossler punched out into the fairway and made a remarkable third shot to 4 feet from the hole. Mitchell ran his lag putt by the hole by more than 4 feet. He missed the comebacker for a bogey and suddenly was no longer going to win his second career TOUR title. Hossler calmly made his par, and it was the Texas Longhorn versus the Sun Devil in a playoff in Jackson.

Results for outright picks from Golfbet Experts:

• Will Gray: Jhonattan Vegas (+3300) T23
• Ben Everill: Patrick Fishburn (+2800) T48
• Chris Breece: Nick Dunlap (+2800) T28
• Matt DelVecchio: Stephan Jaeger (+3300) T23
• Mike Glasscott: Matt McCarty (+4000) T63

Hossler’s troubles off the tee continued as he pulled his tee shot left again, playing No. 18 over again as the first playoff hole. Yu found the fairway and stuck his approach to 6 feet, making yet another birdie for the win.

I mentioned earlier this week in our Prop Farm article, that I was on Yu pre-tournament for an outright win this week. I liked his length off the tee and how he had fared at some of the correlated courses. He finished the week ranked 19th in this field for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. He was 24th for SG: Approach and was ninth in Greens in Regulation. What got it done, though? Putting. Yu was eighth in this field for the week in SG: Putting, despite ranking 159th on TOUR in that same category. Much like Jhonattan Vegas, who won earlier this summer at the 3M Open in Minnesota, I felt Yu really had the chops off the tee and if the putter could just get hot for a few days, he had a good shot to win. The putter did get hot, and Kevin Yu is a PGA TOUR champion.

Results from Rob Bolton Sleeper Picks and Golfbet Insider:

• Jhonattan Vegas to win (+3300) T23
• Mac Meissner Top 5 Finish (+800) T37
• Chandler Phillips Top 10 Finish (+500) T33
• Charley Hoffman Top 20 Finish (+225) T28
• Brandon Wu Top 40 Finish (+125) T55
• Keith Mitchell to miss the cut (+260) T3
• Rickie Fowler Top 40 Finish (+115) T16
• Peter Malnati Top 40 Finish (+175) MC
• Chad Ramey Top 40 Finish (+140) WD
• Rico Hoey, Charley Hoffman and Mac Meissner all make cut (+175) 68/T28/T37
• Tyler Duncan Top 40 Finish (+250) MC
• Cody Gribble Top 40 Finish (+400) MC
• Nick Hardy Top 40 Finish (+120) T28
• Rico Hoey Top Asian (+275) 68th
• Kevin Streelman Top 40 Finish (+230) T42
• Jhonattan Vegas Top South American (+138) T23
• Vince Whaley Top 40 Finish (+140) T16

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