Kevin Chappell Notches 1st-Ever PGA Tour Win at 2017 Valero Texas Open
Kevin Chappell earned his first career PGA Tour victory Sunday at the Valero Texas Open.
The 30-year-old entered Sunday with a one-stroke lead and held off Brooks Koepka to win in his 180th career start. While Koepka's 65 helped him jump from a tie for 12th to second place, Chappell was one shot better thanks to a score of 68 in the final round.
PGA Tour captured the winning birdie putt on the 72nd hole:
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Tony Finau and Kevin Tway each posted a 69 to finish in a tie for third place.
Here are the final results from San Antonio:
Chappell not only earned 500 FedEx points with the win, he will take home the winner's share of the $6.2 million purse:
| 1 | Kevin Chappell | -12 | $1,116,000 |
| 2 | Brooks Koepka | -11 | $669,600 |
| T3 | Tony Finau | -9 | $359,600 |
| T3 | Kevin Tway | -9 | $359,600 |
| 5 | Aaron Baddeley | -8 | $248,000 |
| T6 | Sung-hoon Kang | -7 | $200,725 |
| T6 | Cameron Smith | -7 | $200,725 |
| T6 | Bryan Gay | -7 | $200,725 |
| T6 | Ryan Palmer | -7 | $200,725 |
| T10 | Camilo Villegas | -6 | $155,000 |
| T10 | Bud Cauley | -6 | $155,000 |
| T10 | Branden Grace | -6 | $155,000 |
It was a busy leaderboard at the start of the day. Chappell began in first, but over a dozen players remained competitive, with Tway earning a share of the lead.
However, Chappell regained control thanks to his near-perfect approach shots:
He had birdies in four of his first 10 holes with only a single bogey in that stretch to stay ahead for most of the day.
Meanwhile, Koepka was on fire throughout the round. Despite starting the day seemingly out of contention, a 32 on the front nine allowed him to storm up the leaderboard.
His putting was especially impressive Sunday:
The tournament's official Twitter account summed up the head-to-head battle:
Finau put some pressure on as well thanks to a stretch of four birdies in five holes on the back nine to pull one off the lead. Unfortunately, one shot into the water on 18 ruined any chance of a win. He ended with a 69 to earn a tie for third.
This left a two-man race, and Koepka was in the clubhouse first at minus-11 after carding a birdie on No. 18.
Chappell needed a par to force overtime, but he came through with a birdie to earn the win on the 72nd hole.
The excitement was obvious right away, although there was also plenty of relief afterward, per Jason Sobel of ESPN:
He will hope this win and a solid performance at the Masters will bring some momentum for the remainder of the 2017 season.
The day didn't go quite as well for Brendan Grace and John Huh, who entered the day tied for second at just one stroke off the lead.
Grace, who had a 66 in Round 1, struggled to find birdies and ended with a 73, good enough for a tie for 10th place. Huh was miserable early with three bogeys and a double on the front nine, moving out of contention before the turn.
He finished with a 77 to end up in 22nd place.
Fans will see a format shift in next week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The tournament features two-man tandems competing in alternate shot for two rounds and best ball for two rounds.
Jason Day and Rickie Fowler teaming together highlights a unique event you don't want to miss.
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