Jhonattan Vegas wins the 3M Open with a closing birdie, his first victory in 7 years

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — Jhonattan Vegas won for the first time in nearly seven years, holing a 3-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 1-under 70 and a one-shot victory over Max Greyserman at the 3M Open on Sunday.

Vegas finished at 17-under 267 at the windy TPC Twin Cities. It’s his fourth PGA Tour victory and first for the 39-year-old from Venezuela since he won his second straight Canadian Open in 2017. He finished second in the 2021 event.

“We’re just trying to have a great week and obviously a great week turned into a win. I’m out of my head right now, so it’s incredible,” Vegas said with the trophy a couple of feet away.

After a more than 11-minute wait on the tee box at the 598-yard, par-5 final hole, Vegas hit an ideal drive. Another lengthy delay followed, and he pulled his 7-iron approach to the far left corner of the green, leaving a 96-foot putt.

Vegas, who did not three-putt all week, had perfect pace on his long eagle try to set up his short winner.

“I didn’t really think much about the length of it. It was just another putt, right? At the end of the day you have to try to figure it out. I know we putted really well, those long putts I’ve been hitting them pretty solid,” he said.

Playing on a major medical extension after being limited to seven starts last season because of right elbow and shoulder surgeries, Vegas is still experiencing complications.

“I felt (the shoulder) right away on the first hole,” he said. “It was a nightmare, but luckily stayed calm and I was able to play pretty solid and not make huge mistakes.”

The victory helped ease any pain.

“Nothing feels better than this,” he said.

Greyserman, a 29-year-old PGA Tour rookie, made a charge with an 8-under 63, including a 30 on the back nine that was capped by a spectacular birdie on the 18th.

After missing his drive to the left, he hit a hard draw with a 4-iron through a trio of trees from 260 yards. The ball landed on the green, 79 feet from the hole, and he two-putted for birdie and his lowest round of the year.

“Normally I think about, ‘Oh, you have to play a little bit to the fat side of the pin if there’s trouble or not.’ At that point in the tournament you’ve just got to go for it, so I just went for it,” Greyserman said.

Moments later, Vegas birdied the 15th hole for the fourth time this week to match Greyserman at 16 under.

Maverick McNealy (70) and Matt Kuchar (71) finished third, two shots back. Kuchar was looking for his first win since the 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii; McNealy remains winless.

“I hadn’t had this opportunity in a while and to be in the last group Sunday to have the lead for a moment there was an exciting day. Certainly wish I could have done more,” Kuchar said.

Taylor Pendrith (67), the leader after two rounds, finished fifth at 14 under, one shot better than Kurt Kitayama (66), Patrick Fishburn (70) and Sahith Theegala (70).

Vegas and Greyserman moved into the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings and into position for the PGA Tour playoffs, which begin in three weeks.

Greyserman started the week 88th in the standings. Vegas was 149th, six spots ahead of Kuchar, the only player to qualify for the playoffs every year since they began in 2007. The 46-year-old Kuchar moved up 44 spots to No. 111.

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Sahith Theegala waits to hit on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Taylor Pendrith hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Maverick McNealy hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Max Greyserman hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas walks on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Matt Kuchar reacts after making his putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits off the tee on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas, right, celebrates with his caddie Ruben Yourio after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas hits on the fairway on the seventh hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas waves to fans after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas kisses the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas poses for a photo with his wife Hildegard, left, son Louis and daughter Sharlene after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jhonattan Vegas holds the trophy after winning the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Blaine, Minn. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

ALLENBY CROSSING, West Bank (AP) — Three Israelis were shot and killed Sunday at the border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Israeli officials said, in what appeared to be an attack linked to the 11-month-old war in Gaza.

The military said the gunman approached the Allenby Bridge Crossing from the Jordanian side in a truck and opened fire at Israeli security forces, who killed the assailant in a shootout. It said the three people killed were Israeli civilians. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said they were all men in their 50s.

Jordan is investigating the shooting, its state-run Petra News Agency reported. The Western-allied Arab country made peace with Israel in 1994, but is deeply critical of its policies toward the Palestinians. Jordan has a large Palestinian population and has seen mass protests against Israel over the war in Gaza.

The Allenby crossing over the Jordan River, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, is mainly used by Israelis, Palestinians and international tourists. Authorities in Israel and Jordan said the crossing was closed until further notice, and Israel later announced the closure of both of its land crossings with Jordan, near Beit Shean in the north and Eilat in the south.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and linked it to Israel's larger conflict with Iran and allied militant groups, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Israeli-occupied West Bank has seen a surge of violence since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza triggered the war there. Israel has launched near-daily military arrest raids into dense Palestinian residential areas, and there has also been a rise in settler violence and Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

In Gaza, meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike early Sunday killed five people, including two women, two children and a senior official in the Civil Defense — first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government.

The Civil Defense said the strike targeted the home of its deputy director for north Gaza, Mohammed Morsi, in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The army says it tries to avoid harming civilians and only targets militants.

Gaza's Health Ministry says over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count. The war has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in their Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. They abducted another 250, and are still holding around 100 of them after releasing most of the rest in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel during a weeklong cease-fire last November. Around a third of the remaining hostages inside Gaza are believed to be dead.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent months trying to broker a cease-fire and the return of the hostages, but the negotiations have repeatedly bogged down.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — territories the Palestinians want for a future state — in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but maintained control over its airspace, coastline and most of its land crossings. Along with Egypt, it imposed a blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

Melzer reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Israeli police stand guard near the site of a deadly shooting attack where Israeli officials say three people were shot and killed at the Allenby Bridge Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli police stand guard near the site of a deadly shooting attack where Israeli officials say three people were shot and killed at the Allenby Bridge Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli police stand guard near the site of a deadly shooting attack where Israeli officials say three people were shot and killed at the Allenby Bridge Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)