Andrew Svoboda : Former St. John's Golfer
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NorCal Johnny
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Now tied for first starting the final round.
jerseyshorejohnny
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Currently tied for 5th at Greenbrier after 1st round. Shot a 65.
jerseyshorejohnny
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SAO PAULO – Andrew Svoboda birdied the 18th hole Saturday to take a one-shot lead over playing partner Bhavik Patel going into the final round of the Brasil Champions presented by Embrase.
Svoboda fired a bogey-free, 6-under 65 and stands at 19-under 194 after three trips around Sao Paulo Golf Club. Patel carded a 66.
Martin Flores (64) is three back at 16 under. Gridlocked at 15 under are Adam Schenk (62), Benjamin Alvarado (64), Anders Albertson (66), Adam Long (67) and Sebastian Cappelen (68).
BRASIL CHAMPIONS: Leaderboard | Tee times | Video
Svoboda and Patel were tied coming into the 18th hole at 18 under until Svoboda hit an 8-iron from 170 yards from the center of the fairway to 10 feet right of the hole.
“I had a perfect number,” said Svoboda, who made the putt for a 3. “That was a great birdie and a good way to finish.”
Svoboda relied on his putter Saturday afternoon and the flatstick did not let him down. The 36-year-old from New Rochelle, New York made par saves at holes 9, 14 and 15 to keep his card blemish free. He also made two birdies on 12 and 13 that helped solidify his standing atop the leaderboard.
“Hopefully I keep putting like that,” said Svoboda, who strung four one-putts together on the back nine. “When you’re making 20-footers, it’s fun. That’s the key.”
Normally players are so focused on what they are doing they don’t notice how their playing partner is performing. That was not the case in the final group on Saturday as Svoboda came away very impressed with what he saw from Patel in the third round.
“The kid’s got a lot of power,” said Svoboda, who will once again be paired with Patel in the final round. “Bhavik is fun to play with. He’s very talented and can hit the ball really far. I enjoy playing with him and hopefully we can both play well tomorrow.”
Patel started the day with four straight birdies and was in position to lap the field until his tee shots started to miss the short grass. The 25-year-old from Bakersfield, California carded four bogeys in nine holes and found himself three back of Svoboda at one point during the round.
“I hate missing fairways with an iron off the tee,” said Patel, who gave shots back at holes 11, 12 and 14 coming in. “I had two three-putts and then I missed two or three fairways.
Needing a birdie to keep pace with Svoboda, Patel gambled on the semi-reachable par-4, 16th hole and elected to hit driver off the tee. Despite the tee ball flying right of target behind a patch of trees, the Fresno State University alum’s risk paid off as Patel hit an incredible shot to within a few feet of the hole and made the putt for 3.
“That was an awesome up and down,” said Patel about his flop shot over the trees to setup birdie. “It was one of those where it is either going to be perfect or who knows.”
Patel used his length to his advantage on the next hole hitting a drive of over 300 yards to set up a short-iron approach on the par 5. The long-hitting former California State Amateur champion nuked an 8-iron from 195 yards to 7 feet below the hole.
“That was huge,” said Patel, about the two-shot swing to pull even with Svoboda. “I was fortunate to make eagle.”
Patel had a close call at the finishing hole when his approach found the greenside bunker. The three-year pro blasted his ball to within a few feet of the hole, watched Svoboda take the lead with a closing birdie and answered by knocking the short putt in for par.
Saturday had a match play feel to it as the two traded blows most of the back nine with Svoboda getting one more in before the bell. Patel, who looked at the scoreboards quite a few times throughout the round, pointed out how many players were in red numbers and how both players must keep their foot on the gas if one of them hopes to win tomorrow.
“There’s a lot of low scores out there,” said Patel, who posted the first of four 62s this week. “We just have to keep making birdies.”
Saturday Notes:
-- Saturday weather: Mostly sunny, High: 83, Low: 73, Winds: N-SE 5-10 mph.
-- This week’s purse is $700,000 with $126,000 going to the winner.
-- Andrew Svoboda has played in 106 Tour events and recorded 11 top 10s. He has graduated to the PGA TOUR twice (2012, 2013).
-- Svoboda has never held the outright lead in a Tour event after 54 holes. In 2013, Svoboda won twice and stood T2 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship and T1 at the Chiquita Classic after the third round.
-- Bhavik Patel is going for his first win on Tour in his 36th start. Patel is playing out of the Major Medical category this season.
-- Martin Flores is in search of his first win on Tour in his 46th start. Flores has finished T3 twice this season (Panama Claro Championship, Chitimacha Louisiana Open).
-- Sebastian Cappelen won the Air Capital Classic presented by Aetna back in 2014 in his professional debut. Cappelen was the last man in the field after advancing through a three-hole playoff earlier that week, becoming the second player to win the tournament after Monday qualifying (Ben Crane - 2000).
-- Since his maiden Tour win, Cappelen has recorded just two top 10s in 32 starts. Capellen made the cut in the season-opening Panama Claro Championship and finished T27.
-- Three Brazilian players made the cut this week: Rafael Becker (65-70-74) is tied for 67th; Lucas Lee (64-74-72) is tied for 72nd; and Alexandre Rocha (69-64-69) is tied for 15th.
Andrew Svoboda's second straight 65 leads at the Brasil Champions
Svoboda fired a bogey-free, 6-under 65 and stands at 19-under 194 after three trips around Sao Paulo Golf Club. Patel carded a 66.
Martin Flores (64) is three back at 16 under. Gridlocked at 15 under are Adam Schenk (62), Benjamin Alvarado (64), Anders Albertson (66), Adam Long (67) and Sebastian Cappelen (68).
BRASIL CHAMPIONS: Leaderboard | Tee times | Video
Svoboda and Patel were tied coming into the 18th hole at 18 under until Svoboda hit an 8-iron from 170 yards from the center of the fairway to 10 feet right of the hole.
“I had a perfect number,” said Svoboda, who made the putt for a 3. “That was a great birdie and a good way to finish.”
Svoboda relied on his putter Saturday afternoon and the flatstick did not let him down. The 36-year-old from New Rochelle, New York made par saves at holes 9, 14 and 15 to keep his card blemish free. He also made two birdies on 12 and 13 that helped solidify his standing atop the leaderboard.
“Hopefully I keep putting like that,” said Svoboda, who strung four one-putts together on the back nine. “When you’re making 20-footers, it’s fun. That’s the key.”
Normally players are so focused on what they are doing they don’t notice how their playing partner is performing. That was not the case in the final group on Saturday as Svoboda came away very impressed with what he saw from Patel in the third round.
“The kid’s got a lot of power,” said Svoboda, who will once again be paired with Patel in the final round. “Bhavik is fun to play with. He’s very talented and can hit the ball really far. I enjoy playing with him and hopefully we can both play well tomorrow.”
Patel started the day with four straight birdies and was in position to lap the field until his tee shots started to miss the short grass. The 25-year-old from Bakersfield, California carded four bogeys in nine holes and found himself three back of Svoboda at one point during the round.
“I hate missing fairways with an iron off the tee,” said Patel, who gave shots back at holes 11, 12 and 14 coming in. “I had two three-putts and then I missed two or three fairways.
Needing a birdie to keep pace with Svoboda, Patel gambled on the semi-reachable par-4, 16th hole and elected to hit driver off the tee. Despite the tee ball flying right of target behind a patch of trees, the Fresno State University alum’s risk paid off as Patel hit an incredible shot to within a few feet of the hole and made the putt for 3.
“That was an awesome up and down,” said Patel about his flop shot over the trees to setup birdie. “It was one of those where it is either going to be perfect or who knows.”
Patel used his length to his advantage on the next hole hitting a drive of over 300 yards to set up a short-iron approach on the par 5. The long-hitting former California State Amateur champion nuked an 8-iron from 195 yards to 7 feet below the hole.
“That was huge,” said Patel, about the two-shot swing to pull even with Svoboda. “I was fortunate to make eagle.”
Patel had a close call at the finishing hole when his approach found the greenside bunker. The three-year pro blasted his ball to within a few feet of the hole, watched Svoboda take the lead with a closing birdie and answered by knocking the short putt in for par.
Saturday had a match play feel to it as the two traded blows most of the back nine with Svoboda getting one more in before the bell. Patel, who looked at the scoreboards quite a few times throughout the round, pointed out how many players were in red numbers and how both players must keep their foot on the gas if one of them hopes to win tomorrow.
“There’s a lot of low scores out there,” said Patel, who posted the first of four 62s this week. “We just have to keep making birdies.”
Saturday Notes:
-- Saturday weather: Mostly sunny, High: 83, Low: 73, Winds: N-SE 5-10 mph.
-- This week’s purse is $700,000 with $126,000 going to the winner.
-- Andrew Svoboda has played in 106 Tour events and recorded 11 top 10s. He has graduated to the PGA TOUR twice (2012, 2013).
-- Svoboda has never held the outright lead in a Tour event after 54 holes. In 2013, Svoboda won twice and stood T2 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship and T1 at the Chiquita Classic after the third round.
-- Bhavik Patel is going for his first win on Tour in his 36th start. Patel is playing out of the Major Medical category this season.
-- Martin Flores is in search of his first win on Tour in his 46th start. Flores has finished T3 twice this season (Panama Claro Championship, Chitimacha Louisiana Open).
-- Sebastian Cappelen won the Air Capital Classic presented by Aetna back in 2014 in his professional debut. Cappelen was the last man in the field after advancing through a three-hole playoff earlier that week, becoming the second player to win the tournament after Monday qualifying (Ben Crane - 2000).
-- Since his maiden Tour win, Cappelen has recorded just two top 10s in 32 starts. Capellen made the cut in the season-opening Panama Claro Championship and finished T27.
-- Three Brazilian players made the cut this week: Rafael Becker (65-70-74) is tied for 67th; Lucas Lee (64-74-72) is tied for 72nd; and Alexandre Rocha (69-64-69) is tied for 15th.
Andrew Svoboda's second straight 65 leads at the Brasil Champions
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
Andrew Svoboda rallied to win the Web.com Tour's Brazil Champions on Sunday, closing with a birdie to overcome a one-stroke deficit to Bhavik Patel.
Svoboda birdied the par-4 18th for a 4-under 67, and Patel closed with a bogey to finish a stroke back in his second event since returning for a doping suspension and hip injury.
The 36-year-old Svoboda finished at 23-under 261 at Sao Paulo Golf Club and earned $126,000 for his third career Web.com Tour title. He won twice on the tour in 2013 and tied for second in 2014 in the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The former St. John's player is from Larchmont, New York.
The 25-year-old Patel, a former Fresno State player from Bakersfield, California, also closed with a 67. He sat out last season after being suspended for violating the PGA Tour's anti-doping policy.
Patel tied Svoboda with a par on the par-3 15th, and pulled ahead with a birdie on the par-4 16th.
Anders Albertson was third at 20 under after a 66. He birdied three of the last four holes.
Martin Flores birdied the final two holes for a 68 to finish third at 19 under.
Ryan Armour and Sebastian Cappelen were 18 under. Armour birdied the last two holes for 65. He won the season-opening event in Panama and leads the money list with $158,176. Cappelen, from Switzerland, shot a 68.
Svoboda birdied the par-4 18th for a 4-under 67, and Patel closed with a bogey to finish a stroke back in his second event since returning for a doping suspension and hip injury.
The 36-year-old Svoboda finished at 23-under 261 at Sao Paulo Golf Club and earned $126,000 for his third career Web.com Tour title. He won twice on the tour in 2013 and tied for second in 2014 in the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The former St. John's player is from Larchmont, New York.
The 25-year-old Patel, a former Fresno State player from Bakersfield, California, also closed with a 67. He sat out last season after being suspended for violating the PGA Tour's anti-doping policy.
Patel tied Svoboda with a par on the par-3 15th, and pulled ahead with a birdie on the par-4 16th.
Anders Albertson was third at 20 under after a 66. He birdied three of the last four holes.
Martin Flores birdied the final two holes for a 68 to finish third at 19 under.
Ryan Armour and Sebastian Cappelen were 18 under. Armour birdied the last two holes for 65. He won the season-opening event in Panama and leads the money list with $158,176. Cappelen, from Switzerland, shot a 68.
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
Svoboda Wins Long Island Open:
[URL][URL]https://www.mgagolf.org/content/svoboda-wins-2018-long-island-open[/URL][/URL]
[URL][URL]https://www.mgagolf.org/content/svoboda-wins-2018-long-island-open[/URL][/URL]
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
Andrew finished first in the New York State Open at Bethpage Black
Mike Ballo, also a St. John's alumnus, tied for 4th
Great day for St. John's !!
[URL][URL]https://www.newsday.com/s...-york-state-open-on-bethpage-black-1.19941928[/URL][/URL]
Mike Ballo, also a St. John's alumnus, tied for 4th
Great day for St. John's !!
[URL][URL]https://www.newsday.com/s...-york-state-open-on-bethpage-black-1.19941928[/URL][/URL]
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