In an amazing turnaround in fortunes and Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson has avoided a WGC – Accenture Match-Play showdown with World No. 1 Rory McIlroy despite letting slip victory in the Northern Trust Open.
Jacobson missed a short par putt on the final green for bogey in a round of 69 for a 10-under par tally and forfeit a place in the two man play off by a shot between the American pair of John Merrick and Charlie Beljan.
Beljan attracted huge attention last November when he managed to fight his way through the second round of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic despite severe shortness of breath, heart palpitations and an elevated heart rate resulting in him being forced to sit or lie down in the grass in between shots on the inward nine at Disney World Friday.
He was taken after his round to hospital by ambulance and with his situation determined to have been caused by extremely high levels of anxiety and stress. Though nothing was physically wrong, doctors still advised him not to continue playing. He did return to competition Saturday and Sunday without incident to post rounds of 71-69, good enough for a two-stroke win over Robert Garrigus and Matt Every
A week ago Jacobson saw his chances of contesting this week’s $US 8.75m event in Arizona disappear when Texas rookie, Patrick Reed birdied the last at Pebble Beach to share seventh place and thus deny Jacobson a place in the Match-Play by just 0.0002 of a World Ranking point.
It was only when AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am champion, Brandt Snedeker withdrew that Jacobson, who had moved to No. 66 in the World Rankings, found his way into the field.
But despite missing out on victory in the Northern Trust Open on the Riviera Country Club course in suburban L A, Jacobson will now be re-ranked and in the process be seeded higher in the Match-Play starting Wednesday in Arizona.
UPDATED MONDAY Jacobson, with just the one PGA Tour victory to his credit, has now moved to 47th in the world and now in with the chance of still qualifying for the Masters.
