One week earlier, in the immediate aftermath of his sudden-death playoff loss to Justin Thomas at the RBC Heritage, Andrew Novak’s disappointment was visible.
He stood with friends and family on Harbour Town’s 18th green and watched as Thomas celebrated, accepting the winner’s tartan jacket and relishing the relief that came with ending a nearly three-year victory drought.
When he spoke with the media afterward, Novak took a philosophical approach, appreciating what the experience would mean down the line, but the energy was gone, the letdown palpable.
The payoff came Sunday when Novak and Ben Griffin won the Zurich Classic team event, giving both of them their first PGA Tour victory, taking their names off the list of emerging players who have not yet won.
The Zurich Classic may not have the juice of some other events – the one-off format softens the competitive edge slightly – but it provided a long-awaited breakthrough for Novak and Griffin, who have been nibbling around the edges for a while.
“You never really know when you’re going to get your first one, but we put ourselves in position again,” Novak said Sunday evening in New Orleans.
Novak, 30, has made a habit recently of putting himself in position. He tied for third at the Valero Texas Open, didn’t qualify for the Masters then had his near-miss at the RBC Heritage, sending him to New Orleans on a heater.
When he’s going well as he has been for weeks now, Novak’s walk looks a little like Ángel Cabrera’s when he was on the prowl in his prime, aggressive and purposeful. He doesn’t waste time over shots and his strong play (he also finished third at the Farmers Insurance Open in February) has allowed him to get more comfortable playing late on the weekends.
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