Trevor Immelman and Doug Bell join CBS Sports HQ to recap the Final Round of the Truist Championship.
[00:00:00] – Final Round Highlights
[00:03:18] – Doug Bell breaks down the Final Round
[00:06:16] – Sepp Straka Interview
[00:17:31] – Trevor Immelman joins live from the Philadelphia Cricket Club
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Final round of the truest championship from America’s oldest country club, the Philadelphia Qriket Club. All the action on CBS. Shane Lowry and Sep Straa enter Sunday as your co-leaders at 14 under on a fantastic Mother’s Day in the greater Philly area. Who would come out on top? Rory Maroy tried to make a push but stuck in neutral. Already three wins this season. A fourth not in the cards, but a birdie at the first was just one of two birdies for Roars in final round action. Bogey free just a whole bunch of pars. T7 at 10 under. Five top 10s in seven starts this season for the Masters champion. Maybe other Irish eyes would smile on Sunday. Shane Lowry making an early statement at the first as well. A 12-footer for birdie moves him to 15 under would add another at the par five fifth to take a two-shot lead over sep straa. Four straight pars to start for Straa but injecting life into his round with an eagle at the fifth. 20 ft to the bottom and just like that we’re kned at 16 under. Fast forward to the ninth. Straa now a one-shot lead after a Lowry bogey. This from 28 ft. Second in strokes game putting this week. That old Odyssey rolling right moves into a two-shot advantage, but trouble arises. Bogey at 10, another at 11. Back to back and we are tied once again. This time at 15 under. Justin Thomas trying to take advantage of those at the top not running and hiding. A huge birdie putt here at the 15th. And come on JT for a share of the lead. A three-foot birdie goes begging. Thomas finishes T2 at 14 under. His fourth top two finish of the season. Had a win back at the RBC. Was trying to go back to back in as many starts, but he would only be secondary character to those two at the top. And Lowry with a par save at 16. The wrong time for the hard lip. Only four bogeies all week until that point. Can’t believe it. Drops one. Straa would par to hold a one-shot lead with two to play. Now on 18 after a weward drive, Straa 207 from the fairway bunker. How’s that? Gives the hole a scare. Rolls out to 31 ft. So no giveimme putt from there, but some work to be done. And he was cut for it. The birdie putt. Not enough break in that one for Straa’s Reed as he rolls by the hole. This thing not in the can just yet. Lowry can now tie with his birdie look from 20 ft. Shane slams it by on the high side. Missed the comebacker as well. Two bogeies in his final three holes and a despondent Shane Lowry looks on as it’s now formality for Sep Straka and his second win of the season. this at a signature event. Straa, your winner at the 2025 truest championship, joins Rory Maroy as the only multi-time champions on tour this season. It’s Sep Sunday in Philadelphia as Straka is a winner at the signature event. It’s his fourth career win on tour. Two of those again coming this season as he moves into second in the FedEx Cup standings. Seb Straka Philly special post round is presented by the latest P790 irons from Tailor Made. First word as always goes to our guy Doug Bell. Doug, a thrilling home stretch there. Nerves felt throughout by all parties involved, but Straka emerges. Your emerging thought is what? Well, Seth Straka now has two wins this year, four wins overall, and this is the biggest win of his career without question. Aside from the majors and the players championship, when you can take down the best at the signature events, uh it is a big deal for these players. So, Sept Straka has elevated himself now, Joe, to star status. He’s not in the superstar level yet, but now we know who this guy is. He’ll be on the RDER Cup team again. He’s top 10 now with a win in the official World Golf rankings. Think about that. and he’s now number two behind Rory in FedEx Cup points with 700 being earned today. Uh good for Seb Straa. He is playing fabulous golf and like Rory now the only multiple winner in 2025 so far on the PGA Tour. This was this was impressive. I I didn’t think he was going to do it. Justin Thomas was my pick, but Seth Straa, wow, what can you say? He’s playing the best golf of his life. Yeah, made a big roar there with the Eagle at five to get his day started. did give a couple back turning but settled in when others got shaky. We’ll get to Shane Lowry here in a moment but you touched on a couple things there Doug that I think we might need to delve deeper on because this is elevation of status for Seb Straa to household name. Those who are engaged with a game of golf certainly know who he is but does it here against one of the best fields we’re going to see all season long at a place that nobody really knew all that well. What does it mean to win twice in a year? He’s the only, as you said, alongside Rory Mroy to do so. To know that you can not just do it, but start stringing them together. It’s rare. It It’s very rare, especially now in this modern age of golf because it is so difficult to win just one time on the PGA Tour. And the impressive thing about this, Joe, he wins early in the year at the American Express and then has a pretty good season along the way and now knocks down the door again in the second half of the season. These players will tell you they usually capture lightning in a bottle in a three to four week stretch and then the rest of the year they’re just hanging on. But what Seb Straa has proven is his game carries from California now all the way into the summer a golf course that nobody was familiar with the cricket club at Philadelphia. So again very impressive what Sea is doing right now. And listen, Rory is fantastic. Scotty Sheffller goes into next week uh as the odds on favorite. We know Xander Schoffley is healthy again, but we got to mention the name of Seb Straa with all those other big names because right now not many players are playing better than Seb Straa. We’re going to get you your PGA preview in just a bit here on HQ Post Ground. Right now, let’s hear it in his own words. Sea after the win. You talked about the nerves that you have to handle in order to win out here on tour. Describe those nerves that you were feeling today and what you had to do to get it done here at a signature event. Yeah, you just uh you know, you it’s hard to eat. You just feel kind of nauseous. Um can’t feel your arms, legs, whatever. You know, you’re just kind of fighting through it. But that’s kind of what makes it fun. You know, when you’re pulling off shots with that feeling, uh it makes it makes it really special. Not being able to feel your arms or legs feels like a very challenging thing while you’re playing out here on the PGA Tour. When you think of a moment today, what are you most proud of? Is it a shot? Is it a mentality? What is it? Yeah, I think just hanging in there. you know, I made uh I hit a lot of really good shots and I made a lot of mistakes. Um so, uh yeah, just hanging in there and giving myself a chance and uh you know, I had a two- shot lead and then bogey the next two holes uh to lose it and uh just keeping the same same attitude, same mentality through whole round. It’s Mother’s Day, so I’d be remiss not to talk about your family. I know that you guys are really tight-knit. What are the sacrifices that your mom made to allow you to get here today? We know that she’s watching. Yeah. Um, you can’t even put it in words really. You know, you you don’t really realize it until uh until you have kids yourself. Uh, the sacrifices that my wife makes every day. Um, you know, it just makes you so much more grateful for the parents that you have. And, um, I just Yeah, I just can’t believe uh all those sacrifices from from my parents paid off. I know that they’re watching right now, so you can look right in there and give them a message. Yeah. Happy Mother’s Day. Thanks for for everything you do every day. Uh, and Paige, uh, just, uh, yeah, hug Leo for me. Congratulations. Enjoy this one, Seth. Thank you. Hey, you want tears? Ask a man about his mother, Sept Straa, there after his fourth career victory. And we try and build out the profiles of what we expect from these players over time. And we have a nice sample size now on Sebstraka. Doug, the putter is what buoied him throughout this week. Second instroke game putting behind only Jacob Bridgeman this week. When you think of Sept Straka, do you think of the man who’s most proficient with putter? Well, it’s interesting uh you asked that question, Joe, because people have asked me, uh, what does he do so well? And I always answer. I said, listen, Septraka does not do anything great. He just does everything really good. Uh, and think about that. And that has added up to this phenomenal year. But you mentioned his putting at the beginning of the year. He made some changes in his stance. He opened the stance a little bit and his grip. And what’s interesting, uh, he showed that to me one day and by the naked eye, it’s kind of like I I don’t quite get the tweaks, but for him, it was significant. And yes, his putting numbers have improved dramatically. And obviously, you have to you have to hit the ball well off the tea, hit good iron shots, but the money comes when you drop those putts. And he did it again today. And basically, Joe, he’s done it all year. So again, keep that in mind. This guy isn’t great at anything. He’s just really good at everything. Yeah, success found in the minutia here for Straa who gets it done at Philly Cricket Club. His foil on this day was Shane Lowry for much of it. And I’m taken back by the golf Shane played throughout this week. Over 69 holes, just four bogeies to his name. He bogeies two of his last three holes that he plays this week. Doug, what did you take of how Lowry dealt with the pressure here late? Well, he faltered late. Uh, and he’s another guy who’s had a really good year. In fact, he would say this is probably his best all-around year he’s ever had in professional golf. And this is a major champion. He’s also won the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, another tough golf course. But he just felt coming into this week and heading into next week at the PGA Championship that he was in really good form and he is, but I think at the end he just faltered whether it was fatigue or whether it was a pressure or a combination of all of that. Uh he faltered at the wrong time. And Shane Lowry, again, if you look at Shane Lowry, Joe, over the last few years, there’s been many times where he’s come really close and at the end, it just it just gets away from him. And today is another example of that. He falls just short. Uh but again, Shane Lowry inside the top 30 FedEx Cup points. He’s going to go back to the Tour Championship for the second year in a row. And with three major championships left and the open championship returning to the scene of the crime where he won before, I think Shane Lowry is in goodstead now with some pretty big events heading uh the rest of this season. And that clar jug in 2019 that he held for two years with no playing in 2020. Remains his last solo victory. Did win last year alongside Rory Mroy at the Zurich. Maybe one other kicking himself for opportunity squandered here on Sunday. That being Justin Thomas who’s played sensational golf this season. back to the level that we’ve expected from the young phenom, now grown man with a family and a win at the RBC. Tried to go back to back but couldn’t find it late either. How optimistic should we be about Thomas’ play this week heading into a PGA where he’s found his two WMakers prior? Very optimistic. Uh, you know, it was interesting on Saturday he bogeies both of the par fives at the cricket club which was kind of a headscratcher, right? And I kept thinking, well, that might cost him on Sunday, but he continued to be my pick. And then of course he missed that short birdie at the same par five late in the round on Sunday. Uh dropped his shot at 17. Uh dropped a shot at 16, came back with a nice birdie at 17, but then couldn’t get it done at 18. But nevertheless, I think what we’re seeing in Justin Thomas is a guy who’s having a big rebound year. And I think heading into next week, JT’s got to be one of the favorites. Uh there’s no question about it. He has one win and very easily could have three wins. Let it go with the Valpar. and obviously had an opportunity here. But again, you can’t complain about those missed opportunities. You think about what you have in the bag. He has the RBC heritage and a lot of big events left ahead. So, I think your question JT in really good form heading in the rest of the season. I’ve got Thomas down for four top threes this season, six top 10s, playing some mighty fine golf with that win again at Harbortown. We talk about places and special ones that we get to know. Well, this was an introduction to the Philly Qriket Club for most of us and an amazing week at that winning score in the teens. This wasn’t the turkey shoot for lack of a better term that some may be expected. How did Philly Qriket Club present to the greater golfing public? It was absolutely breathtaking. It really was. And obviously, Mother Nature played a factor to Thursday, perfect conditions. They we had the rain on Friday, the high winds on Saturday, and then we got back into goodstead today. Uh this was a redesign if you will and AW Tilling has one of the legendary golf course designers in our country and Wingfoot and some of the others are on his impressive resume. Uh but this was this was awesome. The PGA Tour set it up where uh the 18th for the members was number 14 here. The finishing hole today was not the ordinary finishing goal, but nevertheless it was a breathtaking layout. Tony Feno and others uh in their press conferences over the weekend kept saying, “We need to come back to cities like Philadelphia. We need to come back to cities like New York and play some of these old legendary layouts.” And they withstand the test of time, Joe. That’s the great thing. Tilly has designed this many, many years ago, 100 years ago, and it’s it it’s withtood all the time. And now it’s holding back the best players in the game with the best technology. I love it. And and on TV, it just popped. It was absolutely gorgeous. A golf course that certainly endures as the plaque reads of AW Tillingast. And yes, it’s Sepra Witwin in the greater Philadelphia area. Some great fans uh there to take witness to what Septra was able to do. We now take our steps towards Quail Hollow, a place that you’ve made many a step on, Doug Bell. We’re going to get to a in-depth PGA preview, but just just your thought as we are now officially onto a major week of what it’s going to take out there at Quail. Well, it’s interesting. Uh, it is now being played in May. It is not an August event. The last time the PGA Championship there was there, it was late summer, so it was a soft golf course. Uh, since then, the course has been totally uh it’s gone under a facelift. Uh, new fairways, new greens, uh, new teing grounds. Uh, they’ve changed some of the holes a little bit because of the corporate hospitality tents. So, it’s going to play really firm, really fast. And I think what we’re seeing it is a it is a home run hitters ballpark. Long hitters will thrive at Quail Hollow. The short hitters I think they’re going to really struggle. The rough is up. So again, you hit it long, but h you could get some dicey lies in the rough. The Greens are going to be just so fast. I mean, maybe second only to Augusta National. Think about that, Joe. And obviously, we’re talking about the uh the beauty of the Cricut Club, Quail Hollow. It’s right up there with the prettiest golf courses in the world. It really is. So, it’s going to be a great test, but I do believe the long hitters, Rory Dambo, and some of these guys will have an advantage next week at the PGA Championship. You allude to Mroy. He was the defending champion this week. However, we will go to the place where he won this tournament next week. It’s it’s a lot of moving parts here, but he knows quail well. It’s a home game, for lack of a better term for Rory Mroy. When you look at what he did this week, it was for most of the week at Philly Cricket Club, as quiet as a week could be here in the top 10 for Mroy. I I know we’ve seen now a team event and 72 holes here at the Truist. Are you seeing enough competitive repetition to feel as boy, excuse me, as uh as bullish on Mroy as we should heading into the PGA Championship? Yes. Uh capital. Yes. Uh, I I really think Rory has set himself up for another great run next week at a golf course that he completely dominated last summer. Remember when he was cutting the corners and hitting those drives in places that we’ve never seen before. He’s won there four times, Joe. So, I think mentally he just can’t wait to get back to Quail Hollow, but I think he’s divided his time. Obviously went to the Zurich Classic uh and and team with Shane there. He was the they were the defending champions. And then goes to New York for a a media tour. comes back down to the Bears club, uh, meets with his short game guru, and they go through three days of intense short game work. And then this week he used as an absolute tuneup. And again, nothing against the truest championship. He he said that in his press conference, he wanted to win, but he also wanted to go out and get his game back in championship form, finishing in double digits, 10 under par. I think he did just that. He accomplished his goal. Now he heads to Coil Hollow with a fresh mind, a place he’s had ultra success. And again, it is a home run hitters ballpark. And there’s no better player in the world with a driver in his hand. With all due respect to Dshambo and some of these other longer hitters, there’s no better driver of the golf ball than Roy Moy and Quail Hollow sets up absolutely perfect for Rory, who by the way is having the best season of his illustrious career. No argument there whatsoever as Mroy waited more than a decade to collect another major championship. We’ll see if he can put a couple backto back following the Masters with a PGA. A look at your leaderboard at the truest championship where it’s Sebstraka Philly special at the cricket club. For more, we take you back out to Philly into the Super tower. We say hello to our friend Trevor Imlman. Trevor, before we get to our winner, I want your point of view on the role that pressure played here Sunday over the final nine holes. Yeah, look, for sure it always does. It means so much to these players to try and get a win. It’s so hard to get a win when you’re looking at this type of competition that they’re going up against. And we saw it play out all week. We’ve been talking about how difficult those final three holes are. You look at how Lowry played him. You look at how Striker played him. Lowry was two over in the final three. Strucker managed three pars and that ended up being the difference. So, he was pretty clutch down the stretch. made a great up and down at the par five 15th to match Lowry’s birdie and then was able to hang tough and get that win. Uh great win for him. Biggest win of his career and a lot of good things come with that right now. It certainly does. You allude to Shane Lowry who made four bogeies this week through 69 holes. Two of his last three come with squares on the card. Unfortunate in those moments, but Straa claims another here. His second of the season, a multi-time winner alongside Rory Mroy. What does this win mean for Seb Straa now four to his name? maybe elevating even another echelon that we’ve seen from the great ball striking in play throughout this season. Well, it’s now his fourth PGA Tour win since 2022. So, he’s starting to rack him up at a pretty nice clip. And you look at the people that he’s beating, you know, here at this signature event against the best players that we can offer, the win at the AMX, Justin Thomas finished second. Uh he had that great Rder Cup performance. So, re he really is starting to jump in the mix with the best players on the planet. And that confidence is just going to start building. And I I love his demeanor. Look, he’s not the type of flashy player that is going to go out there and let you know about how good he is. He just lets his clubs do the talking. And it’s kind of fun to watch that. Uh really happy for him. This is a huge win. It’s going to be a giant stepping stone to the future and certainly puts him in the conversation of those we will keep a close eye on as we head now to our second major at Quail Hollow. Trev, I know it’s a special place to you and all the different phases of your golfing career when you look at what this week holds for us. What has your attention most heading into that second major? Yeah, look, I’m so pumped. First things first, we got some bad weather over the next three days. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday is going to be a bunch of rain. So, it’s going to be interesting to see how the course starts to develop and handle all of that water, how much practice the players are able to get and how much course time to be able to really start to figure out what the conditions are like out there. But gosh, I mean, I have got great anticipation for this major championship. We have all the world’s best players coming in in great form. And so I think it’s going to be really exciting at a place like you touched on that is very near and dear to my heart. From cricket to quail, nobody does it like golf on CBS and our guy Trevor Illeman. Thank you, Trev.
1 Comment
Idk if the title is misleading but JT didn’t win sadly