For Jhonattan Vegas, it wasn’t just winning the 3M Open on Sunday with a closing birdie that felt so satisfying.
At age 39 and having undergone two surgeries in recent years, Vegas was at the point where it was fair to wonder whether he had another PGA Tour victory in him.
On a day when four players shared the lead with four holes remaining in the final round, Vegas showed his experience with a clutch two-putt birdie from just inside 100 feet on the 18th green at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, to give him a one-stroke victory over tour rookie Max Greyserman.
It was a fourth career victory for Vegas, a native Venezuelan whose previous title came at the 2017 RBC Canadian Open. It was worth $1.494 million from the $8.3 million purse.
“It’s always a great feeling winning out here,” said Vegas, who finished at 17-under 267. “We know how hard it is. Every one is special. Coming back from two surgeries, it was a very hard day today. I didn’t feel 100 percent. It makes the win super special.”
Vegas underwent surgery on his right elbow in 2022 and an operation on his right shoulder in 2023.
“It’s never going to be 100 percent,” he said. “Any time you have surgery, especially two surgeries in one arm, it’s never fun. So still dealing with it, but obviously slowly getting better, which is nice to feel.”
Without a top-10 finish in more than two years and playing on a major medical extension, Vegas said he began working with swing coach Rick Smith earlier this year in addition to his regular swing coach, Franci Betancourt.
“Confidence is building, and good things are happening,” said Vegas, who jumped to 66th in the FedEx Cup race. The top 70 will advance to the first round of the playoffs following the Wyndham Championship in two weeks.
Greyserman rushed up the leaderboard in the final round, shooting a closing 8-under-par 63 that included a spectacular birdie at the finishing hole.
After hooking his tee shot into some trees on the par-5 18th, Greyserman made the bold choice of going for the green with his second shot, which required a 246-yard carry over water after avoiding the trees near where his tee shot came to rest.
Greyserman gave himself a 79-foot eagle putt on the 18th, and his two-putt birdie put him in a tie for the lead until Vegas matched his birdie later.
“At that point I had kind of seen the board a little bit, so I knew about where I was,” Greyserman said of his aggressive decision. “Then I asked my caddie, like, ‘What do we do here?’ He said, like, ‘Let’s go for it. At this point you’ve got to go for it because we’re trying to win.
“So, [I] picked the gap in the right side of the trees, had to draw it, obviously starting over the water and draw it back toward the flag. Played the safe shot and overdrew it and just had to hit a nice hard draw under the trees, 246 front. I didn’t even know what the pin was; I knew I had to at least carry it 246.”
With a solo second-place finish, Greyserman moved to 63rd in the points race and likely locked up a spot in the FedEx St. Jude Championship in three weeks.
Ron Green Jr.