Ancer wins WGC St. Jude with playoff birdie

Mexico's Abraham Ancer birdied the second playoff hole to win the World Golf Championships St. Jude Invitational on Sunday, denying Hideki Matsuyama and Sam Burns for his first US PGA Tour title.

It was an unlikely trio in the playoff at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, where overnight leader Harris English – two-up with nine to play – had two double-bogeys on the back nine and last-group playing partner Bryson DeChambeau was six-over on the back nine to fall out of contention.

Ancer carded a two-under par 68 to finish on 16-under 264. Masters champion Matsuyama charged into the playoff with a bogey-free seven-under par 63 and Burns had eight birdies in his six-under 64 to make the playoff.

All three parred the first playoff hole, where Matsuyama watched his 18-foot birdie attempt burn the edge.

They returned to play the 18th one more time, Matsuyama again leaving himself a long birdie try that he couldn't convert.

Ancer stuck his approach six feet from the pin and Burns's approach settled just inside that.

After Ancer drained his birdie putt, Burns stepped up, but his birdie try circled the cup and failed to fall, leaving Ancer to hoist the trophy.

English, who was trying to become the first wire-to-wire winner on the PGA Tour this season, finished alone in fourth on 265 after a three-over par 73.

American Daniel Berger (66), England's Paul Casey (67) and Australian Cameron Smith (72) shared fifth on 266.

Smith was 16-under through 17 holes but made a double-bogey at the 72nd hole to fall out of the playoff.

DeChambeau, who started the day alongside Smith two shots off the lead, carded a four-over par 74 to finish tied with Will Zalatoris on 268.

FINAL ROUND SCORES:

264 - x-Abraham Ancer (MEX) 67-62-67-68, Sam Burns 66-64-70-64, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 68-69-64-63

265- Harris English 62-65-65-73

266- Daniel Berger 66-67-67-66, Paul Casey (ENG) 68-66-65-67, Cameron Smith (AUS) 67-62-65-72

268- Will Zalatoris 66-66-67-69, Bryson DeChambeau 65-66-63-74

269- Dustin Johnson 69-65-65-70, Ian Poulter (ENG) 64-66-67-72

270- Rory McIlroy (NIR) 72-66-66-66, Jordan Spieth 71-69-63-67

271- Scottie Scheffler 65-65-67-74

272- Webb Simpson 71-65-72-64, Robert MacIntyre (SCO) 69-67-68-68

273- Matthew Wolff 64-70-72-67, Joaquin Niemann (CHI) 70-68-68-67, Phil Mickelson 69-66-70-68, Billy Horschel 68-67-66-72, Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 67-68-65-73, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 67-64-68-74

274- Patrick Cantlay 71-67-69-67, Kevin Na 67-71-67-69, Shane Lowry (IRL) 68-69-67-70