FORT WORTH, Texas — Kevin Kisner discarded his bridesmaid tag when he sank a clutch, five-foot putt for par to seal a one-stroke victory at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday.
Kisner, a six times runner-up on the PGA Tour, boldly slammed his uphill putt into the middle of the cup for his second career win. "I’ve been in this position a ton and haven’t finished as much as I’d like to,” the intense 33-year-old from South Carolina told Golf Channel after carding 66 to finish at 10-under 270 at Colonial Country Club.
In closing the deal, Kisner avoided what would have been a four-way playoff, finishing a stroke clear of fellow Americans Jordan Spieth (65) and Sean O'Hair (66), and Spaniard Jon Rahm (66). Rahm had the best chance to force extra holes but missed a 10-foot birdie putt at the last.
Overnight leader Webb Simpson (71) bogeyed the par-four 18th to finish two shots behind.
Kisner jump-started his round with a 40-foot birdie at the par-four 10th and then broke clear with further birdies at the next two holes. But a three-putt bogey from the fringe at the 16th set up an exciting finish.
Spieth came close to successfully defending his title with a bogey-free final round but left too much ground to make up.
Rahm, 22, continued to enhance his profile as the game’s next superstar with another stellar performance, breaking into the top 10 in the world rankings. He had birdie putts inside 20 feet on the final eight holes but converted only two of them.
Record 62 earns Noren title at Wentworth
A barnstorming 10-under-par 62 propeled Swede Alexander Noren to a course record as he romped to a come-from-behind two-stroke victory in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday.
The world No. 13, who started the final round of the European Tour's flagship event seven shots off the pace, galloped through the field with four birdies on the front nine.
Noren also blitzed his way to a birdie hat-trick from the 12th. He picked up another stroke at the 16th and then delivered a majestic five-iron approach to four feet on the last before sparking huge roars from the crowd by sinking his putt for an eagle three.
Italy's Francesco Molinari (68) took second place on 279, one ahead of Swede Henrik Stenson (68), at No. 5 the highest-ranked player in the field, Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts (65) and Hideto Tanihara of Japan (68).
Noren, who had four victories in a spectacular season last year, picked up a check for $1.16 million as he claimed his ninth tour win. Noren said he was given extra motivation after ending his third round with a double-bogey seven.
Noren is third on the all-time list of Swedish winners in Europe, behind Stenson and Robert Karlsson who both have 11.
South African Branden Grace, the joint overnight leader alongside Andrew Dodt of Australia, saw his victory hopes disappear when he trailed Noren by two shots with seven holes remaining.
Evoking memories of Frenchman Jean van der Velde's infamous collapse in the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie, world No. 26 Grace tried to hack his ball out of a ditch but plunged to a double-bogey seven after leaving it in the water.
Feng limps to one-stroke LPGA victory in Ann Arbor
Shanshan Feng struggled down the stretch but was able to hold on and post a one-shot victory on Sunday at the LPGA Volvik Championship in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Feng bogeyed two of the last three holes and that opened the door for South Korea's Sung Hyun Park to force a playoff. But Park shot a par-5 on the 18th hole to tie for second place with Australian Minjee Lee.
Feng made six birdies while shooting 68 in the final round for a 19-under 269 total. Lee posted eight birdies and one bogey in a round of 65, while Park shot 66 in a bogey-free round.
The 27-year-old Feng, who is from China, set a tournament record for a 72-hole score. She also relished the victory because it was just her third on American soil. It is her seventh overall LPGA victory.
While Feng hung on, Park was pleased with the run she made and hopes her performance will prompt an upgrade in her play.
Lee's 65 matched the lowest score for this week's tournament. She didn't appear to have much of a chance late but Feng's stumbles helped her close to within one.
Langer makes history with Senior PGA victory
Bernhard Langer made history with his victory at the Senior PGA Championship on Sunday, becoming the first player to win all five senior majors on the 50-and-over Champions Tour.
Langer edged Vijay Singh by one stroke at Trump National in Washington, carding a closing 68 to finish at 18-under-par 270. "It means a great deal," the seemingly ageless 59-year-old German said in a greenside interview, when asked what it meant to have won all five senior majors.
Langer, a 10-time member of the European Ryder Cup team, won two majors during his career on the regular tour, the 1985 and 1993 Masters at Augusta National. — Reuters
