Satoshi Kodaira Wins 2018 RBC Heritage After Beating Si Woo Kim in Playoff
Satoshi Kodaira defeated Si Woo Kim in a playoff Sunday to win the 2018 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Kodaira, who trailed Kim by five shots heading into the final round, shot a five-under 66 to finish 12 under for the tournament. Kodaira and Kim tied the first two playoff holes before a birdie on the third was enough for Kodaira to take the title.
The tournament's official Twitter account showed Kodaira receiving his plaid winner's jacket:
It's the first PGA Tour win of Kodaira's career. Entering Sunday, the 28-year-old had failed to even register a top-10 finish.
The Associated Press' Doug Ferguson highlighted how big final-day comebacks have become the norm at the RBC Heritage:
Kodaira got his final round off to an excellent start, birdieing the first three holes. He moved to four under for the round with a birdie on No. 7 but lost a stroke with a bogey on No. 8. Three birdies and a bogey on the back nine had him at five under for the round heading to the 18th tee.
Kodaira needed to sink a 27-foot putt to save par and stay at 12 under for the weekend, thus keeping him in position for a sudden-death playoff. Since he teed off nearly an hour before Kim, he had to patiently wait in the clubhouse to see whether his lead would hold.
As impressive as Kodaira's surge up the leaderboard was, he got some help from Kim. Kim carded three birdies on the front nine but bogeyed three holes after making the turn.
Ian Poulter, who led by one stroke through three rounds, also fell apart Sunday, shooting four over for the round to finish at nine under. Luke List was unable to find a groove as well, winding up at 11 under for the tournament after carding a one-over 72 in the final round.
Consistency was the key for Kodaira. According to PGATour.com, he missed just two of the 14 fairways and reached 13 greens in regulation. Kim, meanwhile, reached six fairways and 11 greens in regulation.
The final result could be huge for Kodaira. Jonathan Wall of the PGA Tour's official site reported Kodaira plans to join the PGA Tour on a full-time basis, while Golf Channel's Ryan Lavner noted he's set to climb up the Official World Golf Ranking:
Before making the trip to Hilton Head, Kodaira was trending upward. He made the cut and finished 54th at the WGC-Mexico Championship in March and tied for 28th at the Masters earlier this month—his best finish at a major tournament.
Sunday's win could represent Kodaira's breakthrough on the Tour as he looks to become more of a mainstay on the final day.
