PGA TOUR
RBC Heritage
Spieth Overcomes Cantlay to Win RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth collected his 13th PGA Tour win at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina. It was the second consecutive year the American returned a victory on Easter Sunday. Last year, Spieth resurrected his career with victory on that day at the Valero Texas Open after going winless over four seasons. Spieth, aged 28, outlasted reigning FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay at the first playoff hole. Both players finished regulation play at 13-under. Seven players including Australia’s Cam Davis finished one shot back at 12-under.
Spieth began the final round three shots off the lead held by compatriot Harold Varner III. The margin should have been one stroke less except for a clumsy Spieth error at the final green on Saturday when he missed an 18-inch tap-in for a par. The Texan quickly erased the error producing a quick start on Sunday with two eagles during the opening five holes. The former world No. 1 holed out a bunker shot for eagle at the par-5, 2nd hole. Then at the par-5, 5th hole, Spieth flushed his second shot to 24 feet and then poured in the putt for another eagle. The three-time major winner drained a birdie putt from 10 feet on the 72nd green to match his lowest final round score of the year with a 5-under 66.
Spieth, who was leader in the clubhouse, had just over an hour wait to see his fate as he was playing six pairings from the end of the field.
Early during the back nine there were nine players separated by one shot. In the end, Cantlay was the only player who managed to join Spieth at the top of the leaderboard. The 30-year-old got to 13-under when he converted his birdie attempt at the par 3, 17th hole. The nine-foot putt was his longest holed putt over the weekend. He then faced a 13-foot birdie putt to win the title outright at the 72nd hole. If he holed the putt, Cantlay would have scored his seventh PGA Tour win and he would have been the first player to birdie the 18th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links in all four rounds since 1983. Cantlay was hoping to continue his affection for Jack Nicklaus design golf courses. He has earned three of his six PGA Tour wins on Nickalus layouts. Harbour Town Golf Links was originally designed by Pete Dye in 1967 with the help of Jack Nicklaus.
Spieth and Cantlay replayed the 18th hole in the playoff. Both players found the front greenside trap. Spieth, who ended two of his 12 PGA Tour wins with a holed-out bunker shot (2013 John Deere and the 2017 Travelers Championship), splashed his recovery shot to inches of the hole. Cantlay, who was forced to play a buried lie from the sand, was unable to match Spieth with a par. It was the second time this season Cantlay has been beaten in a playoff (WM Phoenix Open, Scottie Scheffler). Spieth improved his playoff record to 5-3.
Seven players took a share of third place at 12-under—Varner III, Davis, JT Poston, Cameron Young, Sepp Straka, Matt Kuchar and Shane Lowry.
Varner III, who took a one-shot lead into the final round, was searching for his maiden PGA Tour win in his 179 start. The 31-year-old was runner up at this event last year behind Stewart Cink. Varner III needed a three at the par 4, final hole to join Spieth and Cantlay in the playoff. The 2016 Australian PGA champion grazed the edge of the cup with his 34-foot birdie attempt.
Davis was hoping to become the first Australian to win the RBC Heritage since Aaron Baddeley in 2006. The lanky 27-year-old produced a stunning bogey-free 8-under 63 final round to get to 12-under. It was the former Australian Amateur champion’s best finish on the PGA Tour since winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July last year.
Cameron Smith was the only other Australian to join Davis at Hilton Head. The world No. 5 backed up his T3 finish at Augusta last week with a missed cut. Smith carded rounds of 73 and 70 for a +1 total and failed to qualify for the weekend by one shot.
Lowry came into the event with form running T3 with Smith at The Masters and he was also runner up at The Honda Classic in February. The 35-year-old Irishman held a narrow one shot lead before making an inexplicable error at the par 3, 14th hole when he pitched his second shot across the green and into the water. The resulting double-bogey was his first bogey or worse in his last 25 holes. The 2019 Open champion was eight from eight in scrambling on Sunday until the costly mistake.
Defending champion Stewart Cink opened the event with a superb 4-under 67 in search of collecting his fourth RBC Heritage title (200, 2004 & 2021). The 48-year-old American then posted three rounds in the 70s to fall back to near the rear of the field In 68th place.
The PGA Tour moves to Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana. Australia’s Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith won the pair’s event last year.
Final Scores
RBC Heritage
1. Jordan Spieth -13
2. Patrick Cantlay -13
T3. Cam Davis -12
T3. JT Poston -12
T3. Cameron Young -12
T3. Sepp Straka -12
T3. Harold Varner III -12
T3. Shane Lowry -12
T3. Matt Kuchar -12
Other Australian
MC. Cameron Smith
Photo credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
