American Kevin Chappell made a bunker shot for eagle at the par-5 15th hole on Friday (Saturday in Manila) to seize the lead after the second round of the US PGA’s RSM Classic.
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American Kevin Kisner won his first PGA Tour title as he earned a six-shot triumph at the RSM Classic in Georgia.
Kisner was at 16-under 196.
Chappell had a 5-under 65 on the Seaside Course and had a one-shot lead over Kisner and Freddie Jacobson of Sweden.
Kevin Kisner came up so close so many times this year that in a way it’s very fitting that Kisner won the final event of the year on the PGA Tour on his home course.
“What I’ve learned is you just can’t hold back on this tour”, Kisner told ESPN after Saturday’s round. “It’s going to be a type of new atmosphere but I’m just going to keep playing the way I’m playing”. “I’ll put a number of 20, 21 (under) in my head and see if they can catch that one”.
McDowell lifted his ball to clean it on the first fairway when he realised for the first time this week the conditions were no longer lift, clean and place – the one-shot penalty gave him par instead of a birdie.
A sublime approach to 16 was followed by a tee shot at the par-three 17th that nearly found the hole and Kisner then rolled in a 28-foot putt on 18 to complete a round of 64 – the best of the day.
The SC native was beaten in play-offs at the Heritage event, the Players Championship and the Greenbrier Classic before being pipped by Scotland’s Russell Knox at the World Golf Championship Champions event in Shanghai earlier this month. Two years ago, the UCLA alum was one shot out of the lead going into the weekend.
“You have got to believe you can win on Thursday and hopefully this helps me to do it every week”, he said. “Because in my previous four years on tour, I never felt like I had the game to win”. “I drove the ball great today and had a lot of chances for birdie”. “In China I was feeling as good as ever in that position. I did it on the front nine”.
Kevin Chappell, whose two late birdies for a 67 allowed him to win the B-Flight at Sea Island, was not about to argue. “It shows all that hard work I’ve done has paid off”.
“I remember him telling me, “You can’t play golf scared, ‘” Henley recalled”.
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Justin Thomas fell to third after finishing T-58 this week, G-Mac moved up three spots to fourth place, and Smylie Kaufman rounds out the top five. The difference? Reifers did it on his ninth hole of the day…. Tournament host Davis Love III shot a 69 and was 13 shots behind.
