Water World: K.H. Lee Slogs His Way To Victory At Rain-Soaked Byron Nelson

Sam Burns started the final round of the Byron Nelson with a one-shot lead over K.H. Lee.  That lead didn’t last long as Lee got off to a roaring start on a rainy Sunday Texas morning, then wallowed through the mire of a stormy afternoon for his first PGA Tour victory.

Lee, playing in his 80th Tour event, birdied the second hole from 13-feet, ran in an 11-footer at three then a 10-footer at the fourth to go blowing by Burns and everyone else.  Just like that he was 22-under par and kept going, adding another when he stuffed his approach to the par four eighth inside three feet.  A bogey at the par five ninth came as a result of a sloppy drive and not-so-great second.  His fourth left him just inside seven feet for par and he missed, making the turn four-under and separating himself from the rest of the field.  He never looked back.

The leaders teed off at 10 a.m., local time and as their day wore on, the weather deteriorated at TPC McKinney Ranch.

Patton Kizzire got out early and finished before the worst of it.  He shot 63 thanks to a career-best 10 birdies and posted 21-under but that number wouldn’t threaten Lee.

The 29-year-old South Korean kept hitting fairways and greens and added another birdie at the par five 12th that got him back to 24-under.  With conditions looking like pea soup, it was next to impossible for anyone to make a run at him.  Birdies were vanishing in the downpour that kept getting worse.  By the time the leaders reached the 15th, it was a Texas-size downpour.

Lee’s three-hybrid into the 16th came up 40 yards short and his chip left him with 14-feet for par.  It was looking like his lead would shrink to two with two to play when a bolt of lightning flashed in back of the 18th hole.  The horn sounded at 1:54 local time and the course was evacuated.

After a two-hour, twenty-one minute delay, Lee got back to work.  Yes, he missed the 14-footer for par at 16 to see his lead drop to two but he quickly made up for it when he stuck a pitching wedge to four feet at the 130-yard 17th and that birdie sealed the deal when Burns settled for par.

Eighteen was just a formality but Lee piped a four-iron second into the green and nearly made that 45-footer for eagle.  His four-inch tap in gave him a 25-under par total, good for a three-shot win over Burns, who birdied 18 to shoot 22-under for solo second, a 1-2 finish in his last two events.

As Lee walked off the final green, he was greeted by 2019 champion Sung Kang and the man he and the rest of the young Korean golfers look up to — K.J. Choi.

“A long time for me,” Lee said of the wait for his victory.  “I stayed patient and positive.  I’m very excited.”

He should be, he earned the last spot in this week’s major championship at Kiawah Island — the 103rd PGA.  “I can’t believe it.  I’m so excited, very happy, very thankful to everyone.”

Lee finished the water-logged round with a six-under par 66, best effort from the last three groups.

He enjoyed the final walk and was all smiles as he stood over that last putt for eagle.  He’s been steadily trending upward, he finished second earlier this season at the Phoenix Open.

And now he’s a winner, finally, despite a rainy day that didn’t dampen his resolve.

Byron Nelson Final Scoreboard:

Dicky Pride Wins Mitsubishi Electric:

The Champions Tour has become home-sweet-home for former PGA Tour journeymen and the latest to find his thrill on Old Guys Hill is Dicky Pride.

Pride was a Monday qualifier for the Mitsubishi Electric at TPC Sugarloaf and his Sunday 67 earned him a three-shot victory over Stephen Ames and Kirk Triplett.

It was Pride’s 11th senior start and a run of six birdies in an 11-hole stretch powered him to victory.

Pride finished at 11-under 205 at TPC Sugarloaf, a week after contending in the major Regions Tradition in his home state of Alabama. He won the 1994 St. Jude Classic for his lone PGA Tour victory and also won a Korn Ferry Tour event in Oregon in 2015.

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz had a sponsor’s exemption and shot 84-77-82 to finish 76th at 27-over, beating fellow former major leaguer Shigetoshi Hasegawa by three strokes to avoid finishing last.

Mitsubishi Electric Scoreboard:

Sigg Wins In Knoxville:

There was Sunday drama in Knoxville as Stephan Jaeger was chasing a third Korn Ferry Tour victory that would have given him an instant promotion to the PGA Tour.

It didn’t happen for Jaeger.

After a back-nine battle that included seven one-stroke swings within the final pairing, Greyson Sigg made a six-foot par putt on the 18th hole and took a one-shot victory over Jaeger at the Visit Knoxville Open. Sigg trailed Jaeger by three at the start of the day and closed with a 4-under 66 and secured his first Korn Ferry Tour victory with a 20-under total.

“When Jaeger gets out there in the hunt, he’s hard to beat, so I knew I had to go out today and shoot at least four or five-under and luckily for me, I did,” Sigg said. “I’ve been close and it just speaks volumes to how hard this tour is and how good these guys are. I’ve been close and finally today I was able to (win).”

Over the last 10 holes, Jaeger and Sigg made the same score just twice – pars on holes 15 and 18. Sigg evened the score at 20-under with birdies at the 12th and 13th and again with a birdie on the 16th.  He took a one-stroke lead into the 18th hole after Jaeger missed a three-foot par putt on 17 to fall out of the lead for the first time all day.

Visit Knoxville Scoreboard: