CVS Classic: Stricker, Van Pelt Repeat as Champions
Jack Andrade, GoLocalProv Sports Reporter
CVS Classic: Stricker, Van Pelt Repeat as Champions
After sharing the first round lead with a 9-under-par 62, Stricker and Van Pelt posted the lowest round of the tournament in the final round and continued to make history at the CVS Classic after setting the tournament scoring record (25-under-par) in 2013.
The team of Peter Jacobsen and Jimmy Walker shot a 10-under-par 61 in Tuesday's final round to finish at 19-under-par for the tournament. See the full leaderboard below.
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Billy Andrade won Tuesday’s closest-to-the-pin contest with a distance of 4’1” on hole 17, earning $25,000 for Special Olympics RI, the tournament’s charity partner with which he was paired. This was Andrade’s third time in four years winning the closest-to-the-pin contest, and his second time winning for Special Olympics RI.
“This is amazing, I can’t believe it,” said Gerri Walters, director of marketing and communications for Special Olympics RI. “The extra $25,000 will go a long way to support programs for our athletes. We’re so grateful to Billy Andrade for winning this for us again!”
Path to better health
New this year, the tournament encouraged patrons to take steps toward better health, literally, with the introduction of a walking path around the course. Patrons and participants combined to take more than 15 million steps over the course of the three-day tournament.
Final Leaderboard
-20 Steve Stricker/Bo Van Pelt
-19 Peter Jacobsen/Jimmy Walker
-15 Jonas Blixt/Suzann Pettersen
-15 Harris English/Russell Henley
-14 Erik Compton/Brad Faxon
-14 Jason Dufner/Hunter Mahan
-14 Billy Andrade/Bill Haas
-13 Billy Horschel/Lexi Thompson
-9 Zach Johnson/Matt Kuchar
-8 Juli Inkster/Morgan Pressel
2014 CVS Charity Classic Field
Erik Compton
Compton underwent a heart transplant at age 12 and gave up contact sports for good. After taking up golf, he rose to become the #1 ranked junior golfer 6 years later. Compton had a second heart transplant in 2008, and made his first Top 10 on the PGA Tour in 2013.
Harris English
English has won twice on the PGA Tour, and won a Nationwide Tour event as an amateur (one of 3 players ever to do so). Not bad for a 24-year-old.
Russell Henley
Henley also won a Nationwide Tour Event before turning pro, and he's got a pair of PGA Tour wins on his resume as well. He and fellow Georgia-native English will be pairing up in this year's Classic.
Morgan Pressel
Pressel is the only female winner in CVS Classic history, winning the 2012 event with Jay Haas. Pressel is a 2-time winner on the LPGA Tour and won the Kraft Nabisco Championship (a major) in 2007.
Hunter Mahan
Mahan is a 5-time PGA Tour winner and the 38th ranked player in the world. Known for having one of the smoothest swings in golf, Mahan made headlines last summer by withdrawing from a tournament he was leading after 36 holes to be with his wife as she went into labor with their first child.
Billy Horschel
Horschel is a young professional and won his first PGA Tour Event last season. He also finished 4th at the U.S. Open in 2013. Horschel is known for his fashion sense, including his famous octopus pants.
Suzann Pettersen
Pettersen has won 14 times on the LPGA Tour, including a pair of majors. She's been ranked as high as #2 in the world and the Norway native has also won 7 events on the Ladies European Tour.
Lexi Thompson
The 19-year-old Thompson won her first major earlier this year at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She qualified for the U.S. Women's Open at age 12 and has quickly ascended to the top of the LPGA as a teenager. She's currently ranked 5th in the world.
Brad Faxon
Faxon co-founded the Charity Classic in 1999 and has hosted the event every year since. He's an 8-time winner on the PGA Tour, a 1-time Champions Tour winner, and one of the most charitable golfers in the world today. Faxon led an alumni drive to save and fund the Furman (his alma mater) golf program earlier this year.
Billy Andrade
Andrade has also hosted the Charity Classic every year since 1999, and his reputation for charitable work is on par with Faxon's. He and Faxon run the junior golf program at Buttonhole Golf program in Providence and also run the Andrade-Faxon Charities for Children program. Andrade has won 4 times on the PGA Tour.
Peter Jacobsen
Jacobsen joins Faxon and Andrade as the only players to have played in every Charity Classic since its inception. He won 7 events on the PGA Tour and has won 2 majors on the Champions Tour. He's also worked as a commentator on NBC and the Golf Channel.
Matt Kuchar
Kuchar won the 2011 Charity Classic with Zach Johnson as his playing partner. Kuchar is the highest ranked player in the field (#4 in the world). He has won 7 PGA Tour Events in his career.
Zach Johnson
Johnson is an 11-time PGA Tour winner and won the 2011 Charity Classic with Matt Kuchar. Johnson is the only player in the field with a green jacket, winning The Masters in 2007. Johnson is the 13th ranked player in the world.
Jason Dufner
Dufner is a 3-time winner on the PGA Tour and the 2013 PGA Championship winner. Unflappable and seemingly emotionless on the golf course, Dufner inspired the "Dufnering" internet sensation. Dufner is currently the 15th ranked player in the world.
Steve Stricker
Stricker has won 12 times on the PGA Tour and is ranked 19th in the world today. He and Bo Van Pelt won the Charity Classic last year and set a new tournament scoring record. Faxon has hinted that the defending champions could be paired up again this year.
Juli Inkster
Inkster has won 31 times on the LPGA Tour and is a World Golf Hall of Famer. She's won 7 majors and earned over $13 million over her professional career.
Bo Van Pelt
Van Pelt is a co-defending champion at the Charity Classic and has also won events on the PGA Tour, Asian Tour, European Tour, and Australasian Tour over the course of his career.
Jimmy Walker
Prior to this season, Walker has never won a PGA Tour event in his 187 career starts. He won 3 of the first 8 events he played in 2014, breaking into the top 20 of the World Golf rankings in the process. He's the current FedExCup points leader (the winner of the FedExCup wins $10 million).
Bill Haas
Haas has won 5 times on the PGA Tour and is currently ranked 34th in the world. He and his father Jay won the Charity Classic in 2004, becoming the first and only father/son tandem to win the event.
Jonas Blixt
Blixt, a native of Sweden, is ranked 35th in the world rankings despite not earning his PGA Tour Card until 2012. He's won a pair of PGA Tour events in his young career,
