Brave Jones settles for third at St Jude

Australia’s Matt Jones has put in a gritty display to finish joint third at the St Jude Classic in Tennessee.

The New South Welshman was in contention in the final round on Sunday but saw his title chances evaporate with back to back bogeys on the front nine, eventually finishing five shots off winner Fabian Gomez.

Jones mixed three bogeys with five birdies in a final round 68, for a share of third alongside Phil Mickelson, Seung-Yul-Noh, Michael Thompson and Brooks Koepka.

Overnight leader Gomez fired a four-under final round 66 for his first US PGA Tour title, beating England’s Greg Owen by four strokes.

The Argentine finished with a flourish, rolling in a 30-foot putt for his fifth birdie of the day at the final hole.

He became the first Argentinian since Angel Cabrera at last year’s Greenbrier Classic to win on the US Tour.

Birdies at the third and seventh saw Owen pull two ahead as Gomez was even for the day through seven after a birdie and a bogey.

But Gomez birdied the par-three eighth, and Owen bogeyed nine and they were level again, Gomez then taking the lead for good with a seven-foot birdie putt at the 11th.

Owen dropped his tee shot in the water en route to a bogey at the 12th, and dropped another shot when he missed the green at the par-three 14th.

The Englishman’s birdie at 15 pulled him within two, but Gomez responded with a birdie from a greenside bunker at the par-five 16th.

“Today, I tried to play the same way I played the first three days,” Gomez said. “If I got nervous, I thought about something else and that helped keep my mind blank.”

Five-time major champion Phil Mickelson, tuning up for the US Open that starts on Thursday at Chambers Bay in Washington state, gave himself some momentum.

“I’m feeling a lot better about heading into the US Open after this week than I did after last,” said Mickelson, who had eight birdies and three bogeys on Sunday.

Reigning FedExCup champion Billy Horschel also closed with a 65 to share eighth place on 273. He was in a group that included Boo Weekley, Chad Campbell and Scotland’s Russel Knox.

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