Last July, PGA Tour rookie Matthew Wolff walked off TPC Twin Cities 18th green after he made a thunderous 26-foot eagle putt on the final hole to win the inaugural 3M Open, and more than $1 million.
On Sunday, he walked away in silence with a bogey 6, tied for 12th place and $127,050. A Sunday 67 left him five shots behind winner Michael Thompson.
"It's a tough way to finish," Wolff said. "I felt like I played really well today. I honestly should have made a lot more putts. I hit a bunch of good ones. That last hole just got a funky number."
He lipped out makeable birdie putts at holes 9 and 10 and just missed another at 11. He said he had similar putts at No. 6 and 8 as well while playing his seventh consecutive tournament since the PGA Tour restarted after his three-month pandemic pause.
"I really like this course," Wolff said. "I love this place. You know, the volunteers, everyone. Everyone who put helped to put this tournament on, thank you."
If he had successfully defended his title, Wolff would have been the first player since Daniel Berger in Memphis 2016 and '17 to win his first two tour titles at the same event.
He can go low
In 2019, rookie Adam Long shot a final-round 65 to win the Desert Classic by one shot over Phil Mickelson and Adam Hadwin. It was his first victory in his sixth career start.
On Friday, he was outside the cut line late in the day but made two important putts to reach the weekend. Then he closed 63-64 over the weekend to earn his second runner-up finish this season. At 17 under par, he finished two shots behind Thompson.