Jordan Spieth has become the first teenager to win a PGA Tour event in 82 years with victory at the John Deere Classic in Illinois.
The 19-year-old from Dallas, Texas, overcame David Hearn and Zach Johnson on the fifth hole of a playoff, which not only sealed his maiden title but also entry into this week's Open Championship at Muirfield.
A brilliant final round of 65 saw Spieth finish 19-under-par for the tournament, although he was no stranger to good fortune at Deere Run.
Pitching out from the green-side bunker on the 72nd hole, he caught the ball thin and was bound for the water until it hit the pin and dropped into the cup for a birdie.
Johnson and Hearn both had great chances to win in the playoff, but neither could hold their nerve on the green. The Canadian had just a couple of feet left on the fourth playoff hole, but the ball seemed to defy gravity in staying out.
When all three players found the rough on the fifth playoff hole (par-four 18th), it was Spieth who produced a gem of a shot after a long consultation with caddie Michael Geller.
Running the ball up the green with a low punch, he finished just off the back of the green, but could not convert for birdie.
However, with Johnson finding the water with his second and Hearn missing his par putt from around eight feet, Spieth was left with a tap-in for the win.
The last teenager to win a PGA event was three-time Major champion Ralph Guldahl at the Santa Monica Open in 1931.
Michael Penkman
