Golf-Spieth wins emphatically by four shots at Pebble Beach
Feb 12 (Reuters) - Jordan Spieth shrugged off an unexpected birdie drought in the final round to clinch his ninth PGA Tour victory, by four shots at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California on Sunday.
A commanding six strokes ahead overnight, the world number six carded a two-under 70 on a picture-perfect afternoon of unbroken sunshine on the Monterey Peninsula to post a 19-under total of 268.
Spieth had produced a putting masterclass the previous day that yielded eight birdies on the Pebble Beach Golf Links but his putter cooled down on Sunday as he recorded just two birdies at the same venue despite playing rock-solid golf from tee to green.
A two-putt birdie on the second hole was followed by a string of 14 consecutive pars that kept his closest challengers at bay before he picked up another at the par-three 17th, sinking a curling 30-footer before hoisting his putter skywards in celebration.
Kelly Kraft, the 2011 U.S. amateur champion, fired a 67 to finish alone in second place at 15-under, with fellow American Dustin Johnson (68) a further stroke back in third.
Australian world number one Jason Day, rebounding from a disappointing 75 in the third round, chipped in for eagle at the par-five 14th on the way to a 67 and a three-way tie for at fifth at 12-under. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in St. Augustine, Florida; Editing by Andrew Both)
