Story By: Deborah Leung
Photos By: Sol Tucker and Benjamin Rogers Jr.
Potomac, MD–
Some tournaments finish in 18 holes, some take extras and today that was the case as Kyle Stanley outlasted the heat, a round of rain to take home the hardware in the Quicken Loans National
“I mean, it’s just hard to put into words right now,” said Stanley, whose only other win on tour came at the 2012 Phoenix Open. “Team effort for sure. Had a lot of guidance from my coaches the last couple years. Fortunately it’s been the right stuff. Yeah, a lot of hard work.”
The celebration began for Stanley immediately after he holed a five-foot putt for par at No. 18, the first and only playoff hole of sudden death.
Howell, seeking his first win since 2007, had missed his par attempt from outside 12 feet and tapped in for bogey. That sequence left Stanley to complete a tournament in which he finished first in putting and fourth in driving accuracy over a layout PGA Tour players this week called U.S. Open ready.
“There was some doubt there for a little bit,” said Stanley, who paused to gather himself and wipe away tears during his post-round news conference. “I mean, it’s no fun. You certainly question if you’ll get back, you know, and have a moment like this. It makes this pretty special for sure.”
