Sebastián Muñoz wins Sanderson Farms Championship in playoff for first PGA Tour win

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
Updated

It took an extra hole, but Sebastián Muñoz is officially a PGA Tour champion.

Muñoz edged out reigning Rookie of the Year Sungjae Im in a playoff on Sunday afternoon to win the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi, marking his first career win on Tour.

“I just started to believe, one day at a time,” Muñoz said. “I got really hot on Saturday, everything was going in. Today things were not going my way at the beginning, but I managed to pull the W.”

Muñoz entered the day at the front of the pack — thanks to nine birdies in the third round on Saturday — and held the lead coming down the home stretch, too. He appeared to be on the verge of winning the event outright, until a slip on No. 15 opened the door.

That’s when Im made his move.

Im, following a bogey of his own on No. 13, rattled off three straight birdies to surge into the lead. He then closed out his 6-under 66 with a pair of pars on the final two holes, capturing a one-shot lead heading into the clubhouse.

Muñoz, though, didn’t quit. The 26-year-old forced a playoff with a clutch 15-foot birdie on No. 18, keeping his hopes alive.

“I hit it, and it wiggled in. It was amazing,” Muñoz said. “The place erupted. I got goosebumps, everything, emotion, I teared up a little bit.”

He then made quick work of Im in the playoff, firing a par on No. 18 to seal the deal.

Muñoz is now just the second Colombian to win on the PGA Tour, joining Camilo Villegas. He had three top-10 finishes last season on Tour, and opened up the season last week with a T7 finish at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. He qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time in his career last season, too, though failed to advance past The Northern Trust.

Im — who had seven top-10 finishes in his rookie campaign last season and advanced to the Tour Championship — finished in second at 18-under for the week. Fellow Korean Ben An, who fired a pair of 66s to kick off the week, finished in third at 17-under. Kevin Streelman and Carlos Ortiz finished tied for fourth at 16-under.

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