Wyndham Championship 2021: Kevin Kisner Outlasts Field in Record-Tying 6-Man Playoff
August 15, 2021
Kevin Kisner won his first PGA Tour event in two years Sunday when he beat out five other players in a six-man playoff to capture the 2021 Wyndham Championship.
On the second playoff hole, Kisner's birdie putt gave him the win over a group that included Branden Grace, Adam Scott and Kevin Na.
PGA TOUR @PGATOURHis first playoff win in dramatic fashion. <a href="https://twitter.com/K_Kisner?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@K_Kisner</a> comes out on top in extra holes. <br><br>(Presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/SuperStrokeGolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SuperStrokeGolf</a>) <a href="https://t.co/EHsEUaShux">pic.twitter.com/EHsEUaShux</a>
At the end of regulation, Kisner and five other players had matching scores of 15 under par. The six-man playoff tied a PGA Tour record.
This format seemed like it would be bad news for Kisner, who was winless in his first five playoff attempts on the Tour.
PGA TOUR Communications @PGATOURCommsKevin Kisner makes a birdie on the second playoff hole to win the Wyndham Championship in a six-man playoff.<br><br>Kisner, who was 0-5 in playoffs in his PGA TOUR career before this week, earns his fourth PGA TOUR title and first since the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Kisner joined the group at the top of the leaderboard with a birdie on No. 17. He set himself up with a spectacular shot on the fairway that left the ball within two feet of the cup.
Even though Grace came up short in the playoff, his birdie putt from 28 feet on No. 18 to keep pace with the leaders was one of the best shots of the entire day.
The day started with Russell Henley, who was the leader after each of the first three rounds, looking like he was in complete control of things. The Georgia native entered the final round at 15 under par overall with a three-shot advantage over Tyler McCumber.
Justin Ray @JustinRayGolfWith Russell Henley not winning today, Nick Taylor at the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am remains the last wire-to-wire (no ties) winner on the PGA Tour.<br><br>2012 is the last season there was no wire-to-wire winner on the Tour. It's the only season since 2000 where there wasn't one.
Henley fell off the pace with a one-over-par 71 on Sunday to finish tied for seventh.
Each of the six golfers in the playoff finished their first 18 holes with a 66 or better. Si Woo Kim had the best round of anyone in that group with a 64, but that wasn't even the lowest score of the day.
Chesson Hadley moved up 36 spots on the leaderboard with a 62 to finish tied for 15th overall. His round featured seven birdies and an ace on the par-three 16th hole.
Hadley's performance was also crucial because it moved him past Justin Rose, who bogeyed No. 18, for the final spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He will advance to the Northern Trust tournament next weekend.
PGA TOUR @PGATOUR125th spot. ✔️<a href="https://twitter.com/chessonhadley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChessonHadley</a> is headed to <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNTGolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheNTGolf</a> and has secured his TOUR card for 2021-22 season. <a href="https://t.co/DuS3PKOiLa">pic.twitter.com/DuS3PKOiLa</a>
Kisner didn't seem to have much momentum when he arrived at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, for this tournament. He finished outside the top 60 in his previous two events, including a 73rd-place showing at The Open Championship.
The 37-year-old was a model of consistency throughout the weekend. His worst round was a 68 on Friday, and he posted back-to-back scores of 66 over the past two days.
Kisner's victory Sunday was his first in PGA Tour event since the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in March 2019. It's his fourth career victory on the main circuit overall.
Per Nick Piatkowski of Golf.com, Kisner was rewarded with the $1.152 million winner's share of the purse.
The 2020-21 PGA Tour season is winding down, with the three FedEx Cup events left on the schedule. The top 125 players in the FedEx Cup standings will take part in the Northern Trust, with the top 70 players at the end of the tournament advancing to the BMW Championship.
The top 30 players in the standings at the end of the BMW Championship will advance to the Tour Championship from Sept. 2-5.