FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Russell Henley birdied the final three holes to force a playoff with Eric Cole, then made it four it a row with a 5-footer on the first extra hole Sunday at Colonial to win the Charles Schwab Classic.
Henley’s late surge denied fellow 37-year-old Cole his first PGA Tour win on a day when Ben Griffin came up just short of becoming the only player other than Ben Hogan to win consecutive tournaments at Colonial.
Henley earned $1.78 million for his sixth PGA Tour title and also got the plaid jacket and a customized 1982 Jeep Scrambler vehicle. He closed with a 3-under 67.
After making 15-foot putts at the par-3 16th hole and the par-4 17th, Henley was the first to post at 12-under 268 when he hit wedge to 17 feet on the 18th and made his third straight birdie. Cole shot an even-par 70. He parred the final seven holes — eight counting the playoff.
LPGA Tour
GALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) — Celine Boutier rallied from a four-shot deficit Sunday, making three birdies around the turn on her way to a 5-under 66 for a one-shot victory over Arpichaya Yubol in the ShopRite LPGA.
Soo Bin Joo, the 22-year-old South Korean going for her first LPGA Tour title, lost her four-shot lead at the turn and then fell behind for good on the 13th hole with a double bogey, the same hole where earlier Boutier had taken the lead with a 30-foot birdie putt.
Boutier finished at 9-under 204 for her seventh career LPGA title.
Yubol, who was penalized one shot in the second round Saturday for going over her maximum time, birdied the last two holes for a 66. It was her second runner-up finish of the year, having finished four shots behind Nelly Korda in Mexico.
LIV Golf League
BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — Joaquin Niemann closed with a 3-under 67 and made birdie on the first playoff hole against Talor Gooch to win LIV Golf Korea, the first title of the year for Niemann and his league-leading eighth career victory.
Gooch also shot 67 in a bid for his first LIV victory since Spain a year ago. Gooch and Niemann finished at 12-under 268 at Asiad Country Club in Busan, South Korea.
Bryson DeChambeau, who already has two wins this year, shot 65 and missed the playoff by one shot. Dustin Johnson (66) was another shot behind.
Jon Rahm, a runner-up at the PGA Championship two weeks ago, tied for 16th. It was his first finish outside the top 10 at LIV Golf in nearly a year.
European tour
KITZBUHEL, Austria (AP) — Kota Kaneko chipped in for birdie on the par-3 17th hole and closed with a 3-under 67 for a two-shot victory in the Austrian Alpine Open, making him the ninth Japanese player to win on the European tour.
Kaneko, who won the Order of Merit on the Japan Golf Tour last year to earn a European tour card, finished two ahead of Ricard Gouveia (69) and Davis Bryant (65). He finished at 18-under 262.
Bryant, who played at Colorado State, was tied for the lead when Kaneko holed his chip on the 17th. Bryant took bogey on the final hole.
Kaneko was a runner-up last week in the Soudal Open. The victory moved him to No. 11 in the Race to Dubai.
Korn Ferry Tour
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Alvaro Ortiz lost the lead with a pair of double bogeys, and then birdied his last two holes to force a playoff that he won with a birdie on the first extra hole in the UNC Health Championship on Sunday.
Ortiz rallied late for a 2-over 72 — he was 5 over in his final round at one point — to catch Ross Steelman, who closed with a 66 and was the first to post at 10-under 270.
Ortiz, the younger brother of Carlos Ortiz, won for the first time on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Blades Brown, the 19-year-old who has special temporary membership on the PGA Tour, tied for 13th and moved to No. 11 in the points standing.
Other tours
Shaun Norris of South Africa closed out his victory in the Mizuno Open with a 7-under 65 for a five-shot victory, earning a return to the British Open this summer. The Japan Golf Tour event offered British Open spots to the leading three players. Ryutaro Nagano (66) and Ren Yonezawa (65) tied for second to earn their places at Royal Birkdale. … Helen Briem of Germany closed with a 4-under 67 for a seven-shot victory in the Jabra Ladies Open de France at Evian Golf Resort. It was the of victory this year on the Ladies European Tour. … Ryan Van Velzen closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the Spanish Challenge on the Challenge Tour. … Yui Kawamoto shot 4-under 68 and defeated Yuzuki Toshizawa in a playoff to win the Resort Trust Ladies Championship on the Japan LPGA. … Minji Park rallied from a four-shot deficit with an 8-under 64 to win the Suhyup Bank MBN Ladies Open on the Korea LPGA.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
