Vaughn Taylor birdied the second playoff hole Sunday to beat Alex Cejka and win the Constellation Furyk & Friends, earning his first PGA Tour Champions title after a final round that turned on a late surge and a costly finish by Michael Wright.
“I’m in disbelief to be honest,” Taylor said. “I keep just thinking about the whole week, the whole day, the whole year, just everything. I can’t believe I’m standing here right now.”
Taylor, who underwent hip surgery three years ago, savored his first victory in a decade and earned $330,000 from the $2.2 million purse.
“It’s been a tough few years. Had some issues, kind of went into this year with an unknown,” Taylor added. “I’ve had a lot of help to get me here, and it feels good that the work paid off.”
The three-time PGA Tour winner, who turned 50 in March, closed with a 4-under 68 on Hammock Beach Resorts’ Ocean Course to tie Cejka at 17-under 199. Both made par on their first trip back to the par-4 18th, and Taylor then hit a 7-iron approach close and converted the winning birdie putt on the second extra hole.
Cejka earned $193,600 after shooting his second consecutive 65 to reach the playoff.
Taylor started the day three strokes behind Australian Mathew Goggin, who took the second-round lead with a sizzling 62. He began the back nine with five straight birdies, reaching 18 under and putting himself in position to end a drought dating back to his 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am victory.
But the closing holes opened the door for Cejka, who finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th. The German holed a 12-foot putt to reach 17 under, while Taylor bogeyed the par-3 17th. Wright, meanwhile, birdied Nos. 15 and 16 to take an outright lead at 18 under and reach the final hole with a chance to win it all.
The opportunity ended when he pulled his approach from a fairway bunker into seaside vegetation, left the green, made a double bogey, signed for a 69, and finished solo third at 16-under 200, one stroke short of joining the playoff party.
Goggin couldn’t maintain his overnight advantage. He shot 73 and finished in a five-way tie for fourth at 15 under with Ben Crane, Angel Cabrera, Ryan Armour and Rod Pampling. Crane closed with a 65, Cabrera shot 67, Armor had a 69, and Pampling finished with a 72.
Outside the ropes, Furyk and Friends benefits Northeast Florida charities through the Jim & Tabitha Furyk Foundation, which combines its PGA Tour Champions event with a broader week of entertainment and fundraising.
Over the rainy weekend in Palm Coast, the Furyks awarded 15 Folds of Honor scholarships, helping provide educational opportunities for the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled service members and first responders.
