Sahith Theegala and Tom Hoge won the 2022 QBE Shootout on Sunday. The American duo lifted the trophy and became the first rookie pairing to win the title in 11 years.
Theegala and Hoge closed with a 10-under 62 on four-ball in the final round to take the win. Coming off a strong PGA TOUR rookie season, Theegala made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole. The champion duo marched on to take a one-shot win over Charley Hoffman and Ryan Palmer at 34 under.
How much did the QBE Shootout champions win?
With the victory, Sahith Theegala and Tom Hoge took home the winner’s share of $950,000 from the $3.8 million prize purse. The prize would be split equally between them.
The duo beat the pairing of Ryan Palmer and Charley Hoffman to win at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. The Palmer-Hoffman team settled for the second-place prize of $590,000. Meanwhile, the veteran pairing of Harris English and Matt Kuchar settled for $360,000 to finish third on the field.
Interestingly, the mixed pairing of Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy won $230,500 for finishing T5 with Trey Mullinax and Scott Stallings. It was a forgettable outing for LPGA star Lexi Thompson, who only managed a T-10 finish. She shared the $187,500 prize with her partner Maverick McNealy. Keith Mitchell and J.J. Spaun bagged $90,000 each to finish last on the QBE Shootout field.
Here are the 2022 QBE Shootout prize money payouts:
- 1: Tom Hoge-Sahith Theegala - $950,000 ($475,000 each)
- 2: Charley Hoffman-Ryan Palmer - $590,000 ($295,000 each)
- 3: Harris English-Matt Kuchar - $360,000 ($180,000 each)
- 4: Max Homa-Kevin Kisner - $284,000 ($142,000 each)
- T-5: Trey Mullinax-Scott Stallings - $230,500 ($115,250 each)
- T-5: Nelly Korda-Denny McCarthy - $230,500 ($115,250 each)
- 7: Steve Stricker-Cameron Young - $205,000 ($102,500 each)
- T-8: Brian Harman-Sepp Straka - $197,500 ($98,750 each)
- T-8: Corey Conners-K.H. Lee - $197,500 ($98,750 each)
- T-10: Maverick McNealy-Lexi Thompson - $187,500 ($93,750 each)
- T-10: Jason Day-Billy Horschel - $187,500 ($93,750 each)
- 12: Keith Mitchell-J.J. Spaun - $180,000 ($90,000 each)
It is pertinent to note the QBE Shootout had an increased purse this year. The event hosted by QBE will reportedly be a full-fledged mixed-team event for PGA Tour and LPGA players from 2023. This year was the first edition of the event held without longtime host and LIV CEO Greg Norman. It was also the first time two LPGA stars featured on the field.
Sahith Theegala and Tom Hoge on winning the 2022 QBE Shootout
It is pertinent to note that Sahith Theegala and Tom Hoge became the second-ever rookie team to ever to win the QBE Shootout after Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele in 2011. The win was special for Theegala, who is yet to mark his maiden win on the PGA Tour.
Following the win, Theegala was in high praise for his team’s game.
Speaking about the win, he said, as quoted by Golf Week:
“It's nice to get a taste of victory because it's so hard out here… We’ve been playing well all week. Like we said at the start of the round, we just need two chances and we gave ourselves two really good changes on 18. Yeah, it was kind of unspoken I think that like let’s go and get this last hole.”
Interestingly, Tom Hoge didn’t seem to reciprocate the feeling. The 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner claimed that neither of the duo played well. Calling it an “interesting day,” he said that the team won because they managed to make the right putts. Runner-up Charley Hoffman also lauded the rookie champions.