For the second straight week, a rookie from the Web.com Tour proved he has what it takes to win on the PGA Tour.
Smylie Kaufman had 61 reasons to smile late Sunday afternoon after his final round at the Shriners Hospitals For Children Open. He started his day a whopping seven shots behind overnight leader Brett Stegmaier but by day’s end, his 16-under par total was good enough for a one-shot victory at the TPC Summerlin.
It didn’t come easy for Kaufman after he posted his career round. He had to wait for more than two and a half hours as a half-dozen players had a chance to tie him but they all came up short for one reason or another.
“I dodged a lot of bullets coming down the stretch,” Kaufman said of the gang of players who finished second behind him at 15-under. When he realized he was a winner in only his fifth PGA Tour event, he simply admitted: “Unbelievable. I can’t put it into words.”
The last player with a chance to tie was Stegmaier, who birdied 15 and 16 to get to 15-under but came up short on the final two holes.
Before that, it was Kevin Na who looked a cinch to at least force a playoff. Na was 15-under coming to the short, drive-able par four 15th but couldn’t make birdie there. He did hole a 20-footer for birdie at the par five 16th to tie for the lead but for the second straight week, a fat shot cost him. Na had what looked like a routine birdie chip from just short of the par three 17th. He chunked it, leaving himself 12-feet for par. He missed to drop back to 15-under and that’s where he’d finish.
Na recorded the eighth runner-up finish of his career.
Earlier in the day, Patton Kizzire, leading money winner from the Web.com, shot a career-best 63 to post 15 before his good friend Kaufman finished at 16.
Cameron Tringale, Jason Bohn and Alex Cejka had their chances but couldn’t get to the magic number of 16.
It was a day for low scores. Bill McGirt was an early finisher with 62 but that only got him to 14-under and he tied with Chad Campbell,for eighth.
But the lowest of the low shooter was Kaufman, who had five birdies and an eagle on the back nine to shoot 29 and boost himself into a new category on the PGA Tour.
“Kinda wild,” Kaufman said as he thought back on his day that saw him put together eight birdies and the eagle. “Didn’t expect this coming today.”
