Sutherland wins Champions finale
Kevin Sutherland finally broke through on the PGA Tour Champions, taking the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship – and the topping the yearlong competition, too.
Sutherland closed a 5-under 66 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Vijay Singh at Phoenix Country Club, the tree-lined course hosting its first tour event since the Phoenix Open left for TPC Scottsdale in 1988.
Bernhard Langer, the winner of the first two playoff events, had a 64 to tie for 12th – five strokes back. Langer slipped to second in the season standings, missing a chance to win the title for the fourth straight year and fifth overall.
The 53-year-old Sutherland won for the first time in 78 starts on the 50-and-over tour. He entered the week fifth in the Charles Schwab Cup season points standings, the last spot where the player had to only win the tournament to take the $1 million annuity. He earned $440,000 for the tournament victory.
The only player to shoot 59 in senior tour history, Sutherland had 15 top-10 finishes this season, finishing second three times and third twice. His lone PGA Tour victory came in 2002 at La Costa in the Accenture Match Play Championship.
Sutherland finished at 15-under 198. He had a bogey-free round, opening with a birdie on the par-5 first, eagling the par-5 seventh and adding birdies on the par-4 ninth and 16th.
OHL Classic to Kizzire: Patton Kizzire has won his first PGA Tour title by beating Rickie Fowler over 36 holes on the final day of the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.
Kizzire closed with rounds of 66-67 Sunday for a one-shot victory over Fowler, who fell four shots behind until putting together a rally that came too late at El Camaleon Golf Club. Fowler had rounds of 67-67 in the rain-delayed event in Mexico.
Kizzire finished at 19-under 265.
Grace wins Nedbank: Branden Grace’s 30-foot putt for birdie on No. 16 set up his one-shot victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, giving South Africa a home winner at Sun City for the first time in a decade.
Grace, whose putting had let him down for most of the day, sent his long putt at the par 3 rolling in to edge ahead of playing partner Scott Jamieson.