Kizzire tops Hahn on 6th extra hole
Patton Kizzire outlasted former Cal golfer James Hahn in six extra holes to win the Sony Open in Honolulu to become the first multiple winner on the PGA Tour this season.
Kizzire, who won the OHL Classic in Mexico last fall, closed with a 2-under-par 68.
That turned out to be the easy part.
Hahn shot 62 in the final round Sunday and got into a playoff with Kizzire at 17-under 263.
They matched two pars and two birdies on the par-5 18th. They matched pars when they went to the par-3 17th. It ended on No. 17 along the Pacific Ocean when Hahn putted from right of the green to about 8 feet, and his par putt caught the lip.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Kizzire said. “I’ll take it any way I can get it.”
Hahn, whose two PGA Tour victories have come in playoffs, had birdie putts from 10 feet and 6 feet on the par-5 18th hole at Waialae Country Club that would have won it. He made a 6-foot birdie another time to extend the playoff.
Kizzire had to get up-anddown from a bunker for par on the first extra hole, making a 7-footer to stay alive.
This was the longest playoff on the PGA Tour since Bryce Molder won the Frys.com Open in 2012 in eight extra holes.
It nearly was the most exciting tournament of the year (it’s only the second week) that no one saw. Union workers for video and audio production at Golf Channel events walked out Sunday over a labor dispute, and the network had to scramble to provide limited coverage. They had enough cameras to at least cover the final three holes and the playoff, with commentary coming from headquarters in Florida.
Missing from the playoff was Tom Hoge, who did everything right in his bid to win for the first time on the PGA Tour except for one swing. He had a one-shot lead when he was between clubs on the 16th hole, and opted to hit a draw to the back-left pin. He turned it too much and it found the bunker. His next shot got hung up in the shaggy rough, he chipped that to 12 feet and missed to make double bogey to slip one shot behind.
Defending champion Justin Thomas closed with a 68 and tied for 14th. Jordan Spieth finished with eight straight pars for a 66 and tied for 18th.
European Tour: Chris Paisley of England held off home favorite Branden Grace to win the South African Open in Johannesburg by three shots for his first European Tour title.
Leading by one going into the final round, Paisley closed with a 6-under 66 at Glendower Golf Club to finish at 21-under 267. He didn’t drop a shot in the final round.