Angel Cabrera won the Greenbrier Classic on Sunday, but the biggest story was the nine-under-par-61 posted by George McNeill under extraordinary circumstances.
McNeill’s family had alerted him before his final round on Sunday that his sister, who was suffering from cancer, had very little time left. Michelle McNeill, who was 46 years old, found out two years ago that she had breast cancer and last November the family learned it had metastasized to her brain.
He went out on Sunday and posted a nine-under-par 61 that moved him 17 spots up the leaderboard and earned him a runner-up finish to Cabrera. He found out after his round of her death.
According to the Golf Channel’s Jason Sobel, when asked to describe how he was able to compartmentalize the situation and focus on golf, McNeill shook his head,
“I don’t know … I really don’t know,” he said. “Maybe it was good I had something else in my thought. … I knew what I was doing, I was aware of what I was doing, but it really wasn’t the first and foremost thing that I was concentrating on.”
Cabrera began the final round on Sunday one shot behind the 54-hole leader Billy Hurley III at 11-under-par. After a three-under-par front nine he carded two bogeys, three birdies and an eagle on the back side for the six-under-par-64 that gave him the two-shot win.
Two-time major winner, Cabrera won the 2007 Masters and the 2009 U.S. Open. He was also involved in that unforgettable playoff with Adam Scott in the 2013 Masters, eventually finishing runner-up.
Even though Cabrera is 44 years old he can still move it off the tee with the best of them and has a wonderful touch around the greens.
This was his third PGA Tour win. He also has five European Tour titles and 52 career professional victories around the world.
Webb Simpson moved up 40 spots on Sunday with a final-round 63 and finished alone in third place.
Brendon Todd has become one of the hottest players on tour and was joined at T-4 by Bud Cauley, Keegan Bradley, Chris Stroud, Cameron Tringale, Will Wilcox and Billy Hurley III.
The highest ranked player in the field, Bubba Watson posted four rounds in the 60’s, but finished well down the leaderboard at T-16.
Tour rookie Patrick Cantlay is beginning to find his form and finished six-under-par at T-23.
Patrick Reed fired a 68 on Sunday to move up 17 spots to finish T-25.
Sixtyfour-year-old Tom Watson, who is the Golf Professional Emeritus for the Greenbrier Resort, made the cut and finished at four-under-par and tied with Davis Love and Steve Stricker in the group at T-35.
It was announced last week that The R&A had given a special exemption to the five-time Champion Golfer of the Year into the 2015 Open Championship to be held at St. Andrews.
Patrick Rodgers continued his quest to bypass the Web.com Tour and had another solid week with a 68 on Saturday and 69 on Sunday to finish T-45.
Over 150,000 golf fans filed through gates to watch the tournament in the mountains of West Virginia and it is a testament to the wonderful job the Greenbrier Resort’s owner, James Justice and his staff have done at revitalizing and restoring the Greenbrier as America’s Resort.