Kodaira wins in playoff

SATOSHI Kodaira made a 25foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to defeat Si Woo Kim after coming from six shots behind in the final round of the RBC Heritage for his first PGA Tour victory.

Kodaira had finished off his round of 66 to get to 12-under par about an hour before Kim finished.

Kodaira matched Kim with two pars on the 18th hole before rolling in his winning putt on the par-3 17th.

Kim came up short on his 21-footer for birdie to keep the playoff going. Bryson DeChambeau (66) and Luke List (72) were tied for third.

Third-round leader Ian Poulter’s bid for a second tour title in three weeks ended with a 75 and a tie for seventh.

Kodaira, 28, is ranked 46th in the world. He has won three tournaments in Japan and played in the Masters last week, finishing tied for 28th.

The tournament appeared in steady hands with Kim, whose bulldog focus and shotmaking held everyone off to win The Players Championship last May.

But the 22-year-old faltered over his final nine holes of regulation with three bogeys to fall into the tie with Kodaira.

Kim thought the increased winds slowed down the greens, making putts more difficult on the final nine holes.

“But I tried my best and the putts didn’t drop,” Kim said. “It is what it is.” Playing Harbour Town for the first time, Kodaira opened with a 73, then followed with the tournament’s best round of the week, 63 in the second round. That game kicked in once more in the final round, with six birdies on the way to the playoff.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson finished with his best round of the week, a 67, and was tied for 16th, good enough for him to keep the top spot for a 61st consecutive week.

He will take the next three weeks off, starting with a vacation to the Bahamas — "I’m headed there right now,” he said, smiling — until he returns to action at The Players Championship. AP