Kizzire, 31, earns 3 big trips with win

Patton Kizzire had a fourshot lead with seven holes remaining, right about the timenerves can surface for a player trying to win his first PGATour title.

Kizzire made it look like a walkon the beach.

Never flinching in a 36hole Sunday with Rickie Fowler, Kizzire saved par with big putts on three holes on the back nine, closed with rounds of 66-67, didn’t make a bogey over the final 21 holes and won the rain-plagued OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to earn his first trip to the Masters.

“I was glad to get it done,” Kizzire said. “Rickie made mework hard.”

Kizzire began his marathon day by making a 12-foot bogeyputt on the first hole of the third round. He began the final round by making a 10-footpar save.

“We could go on and on,” he said. “I had a lot of critical saves or birdie putts. That’s what you need to win golf tournaments.”

Henow speaks from experience. Kizzire, 31, who took a long road to the PGA Tour after leaving Auburn, won in his 62nd career start as he begins his third full season inthe big leagues.

He finished at 19-under 265 and the perks were just starting to sink in. Kizzire earns a two-year exemption through the 2019-20 season. He starts next year on Maui for the Sentry Tournament of Championship at Kapalua. He’ll be at the Masters at Augusta in April and the PGA Championship in August at Bellerive in St. Louis.

“I’ve been thinking about this moment for a long time,”he said. “I’m really excited, and it brings a big smile to my face to think aboutall those things.”

Home-grown winner

Branden Grace’s 30-foot putt for birdie on No. 16 set uphis one-shot victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, giving South Africa a home winner at Sun City for the first time in a decade. Grace, whose putting had let him down for most of the day, sent his long putt at the made par on the final two holes for a 66 to finish 11-under overall, one clear of Scott Jamieson(70).