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BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — J.B. Holmes flopped in the final round of the PGA Championship, collapsing from second to 29th.
It all started under a tree.
Holmes first tee shot Sunday afternoon went near the base of a fir tree. He attempted to punch the ball back to the fairway with his 3-wood, but it barely moved and stayed within the boughs of the low-hanging evergreen.
After taking a one-shot penalty, he chipped out to the fairway and ended up two-putting for a triple-bogey 7.
Holmes didn't regret not taking the penalty right away.
"It wouldn't have gotten me out of the tree," he said. "I could have taken the line of the shot, but that would have put me in the stands. Or, I could have gone back to the tee. I had to go in there and try to hit something. I tried to hit a 3-wood and I didn't get it out."
The long-hitting 26-year-old Kentuckian, dreaming of a spot on Ryder Cup team, couldn't get it back together.
"Everything that could go wrong did go wrong," he said. "It was my first time in the last group in a major and I don't think it will be my last time."
Holmes was 6 over through five holes and finished the forgettable round with nine bogeys, a double and the triple in an 11-over 81 to finish at 290, 13 shots behind winner Padraig Harrington.
But U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger said Holmes shouldn't give up hope for playing next month at home against Europe.
"I'm disappointed for J.B. Holmes, but he's still on my radar," Azinger said.
LEFTY'S DAY: Phil Mickelson said he had an OK year that would have become a great one if he won the PGA Championship.
Put an OK year in the books for one of the best players on the planet.
Mickelson made a minor climb early in Sunday's final round, but never really scared the leaders, shooting an even-par 70 that left him at 4-over 284 and tied for seventh at Oakland Hills.
"I would have liked to obviously play better, but I had a good week," he said. "I had my ups and downs, had a little go of it early in the round and tried to make a move."
Starting the round six shots out of the lead, Mickelson birdied the second, third and fourth holes to get to 1 over, cutting his deficit to four strokes. But he never got closer.
A bogey at No. 8 stopped his momentum. He had two more bogeys to offset that earlier string of birdies.
Rather than bemoan the fact that he hasn't really come close to winning a major in 2008 - he was tied for fifth at the Masters, tied for 18th at the U.S. Open and tied for 19th at the British Open - he preferred to look ahead to the Ryder Cup matches in September.
"I don't think anybody expects us to do that well," he said. "However, I'm optimistic that our team is going to play well."
