This time, everyone has to catch him.
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Kisner added an 8-foot par save at the par-5 seventh hole after finding the dunes with his second shot to total 83 feet of putts made for his first nine holes, almost equaling his total for Saturday’s round. “The wind obviously knocked it down and I just told myself, ‘Hit the bunker shot harder than you want to’. I was standing over that 10-footer saying, ‘This is going to be a better story with the lads in the bar if I make this and if not, I’m going to take a lot of abuse for it'”.
Kisner, who picked up over £675,000 for his triumph, owns a second home close to the Sea Island course and he made use of his knowledge of the venue by producing a dominant and hugely impressive display.
That put Chappell one stroke ahead of Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson and American Kevin Kisner with American Kyle Stanley fourth on 133.
“I’ve just been playing so well all year”, Kisner said. “Before I realized that, Michael Kim is looking at me amusing”.
But that was the last mistake of the in-form Northern Irishman’s day as he made five birdies in a bogey-free round of 65 to reach 12 under, only four behind Kisner.
McDowell continued his good run of form to finish 3rd following his recent win in Mexico.
“What a way to end the year, by far the greatest year of my life golf-wise”, he said. Ko survived giving back three shots within a two-hole span late in her round to stay in the mix. Fifteen players missed the 54-hole cut, including British Open champion Zach Johnson…. He just couldn’t match Fowler’s third birdie on the island-green 17th and lost in sudden death.
European Tour: Rory McIlroy shot a 7-under 65 to move within a shot of leader Andy Sullivan after the third round of the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
This time, he is equipped with a lead and brings the experience of coping with nerves.
“I’m getting more and more comfortable in these situations”, Kisner said. Hopefully, that’s how it is tomorrow. “Just because it’s a bigger stage doesn’t mean we’re going to suck all of a sudden”, he said in his signature style. “Sixteen is not my favorite tee shot in the world, that left-to-right wind, so to have a really gone and birdie there was clutch”. He also is going for his first PGA Tour win.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way I bounced back and handled a little adversity early in the round”, Chappell said.
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Jim Furyk had to make two birdies to beat Kisner in a playoff at Hilton Head.
