Webb Simpson Dominates Late to Win RBC Heritage

The recent Colonial winner, Daniel Berger, also stayed in the mix by chipping in for birdie on the 17th and closing with a 65. Tyrrell Hatton, whose last tournament was his victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, was leading until a poor tee shot led to bogey on the 13th, and bogeys were hard to recover from on this day. He shot 66 and tied for third.

Dylan Frittelli had the low score of a tournament filled with them, a 62 that put him in the lead before the final groups even teed off. Justin Thomas had a 63 and tied him. Both knew it was not going to hold up, especially after returning from a storm delay to still conditions and even softer conditions.

But it led to a carousel of contenders, and even Brooks Koepka got in the mix.

Koepka hit a driver on the 331-yard ninth hole that hit on the slope above the bunker and settled 3 feet for his eagle. He birdied the next two to get within one of the lead, but his hopes ended with a 5-foot birdie putt he missed on the par-5 15th. Koepka missed a pair of 5-foot par putts on the front nine.

He closed with a 65 and finished seventh, his best result since the Tour Championship.

“Six months off — three with the lockdown and then three on my knee — so yeah, it feels like it’s been a really long time since I’ve even felt some juices flowing,” Koepka said. “It just felt nice to be in contention.”

Rory McIlroy closed with a 70 and tied for 41st, his second straight result out of the top 30 after going seven consecutive events worldwide with no finish worse than fifth.

The PGA Tour now heads to Connecticut for the Travelers Championship, and it’s still to be determined who will be playing until coronavirus tests are released for those on the charter flight.

The uncertainty stems from the first positive test — Nick Watney on Friday — along with 11 tests for those who had been in close contact with him. Those not on the charter will be tested upon arrival in Connecticut. Any positive test means a player must withdraw.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/sports/golf/webb-simpson-rbc-heritage.html