Aaron Baddeley came back to win the Verizon Heritage during what appeared to be a melt-down final round. From the trees to the sand, Baddeley looked as though he was cracking under the final round pressure to win the lovely plaid jacket.
Going into the final round it was Jim Furyk and Baddeley in the final pairing tied for the lead at 14 under par, 3 ahead of the nearest competitors. The round began with Baddely jumping out to quick lead of 2 strokes after some birdie tries and then fell just as quick. By the 11th hole the 25 year old Australian was 2 behind Furyk and looking as though he was fading fast. Two consecutive holes from the pine rough into sand traps and Baddeley was in dire need of some magic.
He then birdied two of the hardest holes, the par 3 14th and the par 5 15th to regain the lead. Finally on the 18th Lighthouse Hole, Baddeley finished off Furyk in the same fashion he was playing the round, bouncing between roughs to pull off some great golf.
This was Baddeley’s first U.S. Tour win.
