Erik van Rooyen had an eagle and seven birdies in his final round of six-under-par 65 on Sunday as he climbed inside the top 10 in the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic on the Champion Course at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens in Florida.
Unfortunately, he also made three bogeys in an up-and-down round as his tournament total of 14-under-par left him five strokes behind the winner. Joe Highsmith of the United States closed with a seven-under-par 64 to reach 19-under-par and a two-stroke win over countrymen Jacob Bridgeman and JJ Spaun.
Van Rooyen’s eagle followed immediately after a bogey on the second hole, and he picked up three more strokes ahead of the turn. He went on a run of four birdies in a row from the 12th hole to reach 16-under, but he dropped shots on 16 and 17 on his way in.
His finish took him to 81st on the FedExCup standings.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout finished in a share of 42nd after closing with a four-under-par 67 which took him to eight-under for the tournament.
