RBC Heritage 2020: Webb Simpson Surges Late for 2nd PGA Tour Win of Season
June 22, 2020
Webb Simpson claimed victory in a tightly packed RBC Heritage, edging out Abraham Ancer in Sunday's final round at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Simpson shot seven under on the last day to finish at 22 under. Ancer was one shot back at 21 under, while Daniel Berger and Tyrrell Hatton placed third at 20 under. Sergio Garcia and Joaquin Niemann wound up tied, both three strokes behind the champion.
This is Simpson's seventh win on the PGA Tour, his last coming in February at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
RBC Heritage Leaderboard
1. Webb Simpson (-22)
2. Abraham Ancer (-21)
T3. Daniel Berger (-20)
T3. Tyrrell Hatton (-20)
T5. Sergio Garcia (-19)
T5. Joaquin Niemann (-19)
7. Brooks Koepka (-18)
T8. Dylan Frittelli (-17)
T8. Justin Thomas (-17)
T8. J.T. Poston (-17)
T8. Bryson DeChambeau (-17)
T8. Michael Thompson (-17)
T8. Ryan Palmer (-17)
Full leaderboard available at PGATour.com
Citing a "dangerous weather situation," the RBC Heritage halted play at 2:35 p.m. ET, six-and-a-half hours after Xander Schauffele teed off to get the round underway at 8:05 a.m. When it appeared Mother Nature was relenting in the late afternoon, the heavens opened back up.
Play finally resumed at 5:20 p.m., which left the golfers in a race against time to wrap things up before the dwindling light became a factor.
Given the way the round was unfolding, a playoff felt inevitable since nobody could distance themselves from the pack for any prolonged stretch. Simpson climbed into first place with a birdie on No. 16, but a one-shot cushion provided little safety against the general ebbs and flows Sunday.
The dagger from Simpson came on the par-three 17th hole. His tee shot left him with a tricky birdie putt from almost 18 feet.
The 34-year-old was on the money with his putter.
Sure enough, that was the difference as Ancer's birdie on No. 17 still left him with work to do on No. 18. Ancer got onto the green with his second shot, the 18th time in the final round he had reached the green in regulation. His birdie putt from 37 feet ended well short of forcing a playoff, though.
Hatton and Ancer were among four golfers atop the leaderboard through 54 holes.
Hatton began Sunday's round with four birdies over his first six holes. Ancer, meanwhile, reeled off three straight pars before picking up four strokes prior to making the turn.
Ancer was unfortunate not to collect a birdie on No. 11. Starting just over 44 feet from the cup, his putt looked destined for the flagstick before slowing up inches from the hole.
Hatton briefly enjoyed sole possession of the lead following a birdie on No. 12. A bogey on No. 13 knocked him back into a three-way tie with Ancer and Simpson, the latter of whom moved to 19 under with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 12 and 13.
Niemann joined in on the fun, as well. His birdie putt on No. 15 put him at 19 under, setting up a four-way battle down the final stretch.
As if the top of the leaderboard weren't already crowded enough, Berger birdied Nos. 15, 16 and 17 to insert himself into title contention.
Dylan Frittelli's day ended early, so he didn't partake in the late drama. He at least claimed the lowest score of the final round after carding a nine-under 62. He had three birdies on the front nine before surging on the back nine with six more.
Frittelli's approach game was peerless. According to PGATour.com, he gained 4.478 strokes from approach to green and 5.091 strokes from tee to green.
"I'm going to go home and pack my bags," he told reporters after hitting the clubhouse. "I'll have a spare set of clothes on stand by in case I need to rush back for a playoff. I'll probably be sipping something cold by the time they're finishing."
It's a good thing Frittelli didn't wait around because it wasn't too long after the restart before he and Justin Thomas fell out of the lead.
The PGA Tour moves on to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, for the Travelers Championship, which tees off Thursday.