Satoshi Kodaira wins RBC Heritage in playoff over Si Woo Kim
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) Satoshi Kodaira closed with a 5-under 66 to rally from six shots behind, and then made a 25-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to defeat Si Woo Kim and win the RBC Heritage on Sunday.
Kodaira won for the first time in just his fifth start in regular PGA Tour events.
The 28-year-old from Japan finished at 12-under 272 about an hour before Kim finished his round of 71. They matched pars on the 18th hole twice in the sudden-death playoff before Kodaira made his birdie putt on the par-3 17th, and Kim came up short from just outside 20 feet.
Bryson DeChambeau birdied his last four holes for a 66 and tied for third with Luke List (72).
Ian Poulter, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, made six bogeys in the final round for a 75. He tied for seventh.
Starting times for the final round were moved up because of a forecast for bad weather.
Kodaira became the sixth consecutive winner at Harbour Town to rally from at least three shots behind on the final day to win. The last 54-hole leader to win the RBC Heritage was Carl Pettersson in 2012.
Dustin Johnson closed with a 67 and tied for 16th, ensuring that he will stay at No. 1 in the world for at least the next two weeks. Johnson is taking three weeks off and will return at The Players Championship.
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EUROPEAN TOUR
MADRID (AP) - Jon Rahm closed with a 5-under 67 to win the Spanish Open for his first victory on home soil.
Rahm won for the third time on the European Tour, and fifth time overall. The victory came one week after the 23-year-old Spaniard finished fourth at the Masters. Rahm finished at 20-under 268 at Centro Nacional de Golf for a two-shot victory over Paul Dunne of Ireland.
''When I made the decision to come straight from Augusta it wouldn't be to just show up and walk around, I wanted to win this tournament,'' Rahm said.
Dunne had a one-shot lead over Nacho Elvira going into the final round, but he was slowed by three bogeys. Dunne shot a 71. Elvira also had a 71 to finish third, while George Coetzee of South Africa closed with a 63 to finish fourth.
Rahm's three European Tour victories have come in 19 starts. He joins Antonio Garrido, Seve Ballesteros, Sergio Garcia, Alvaro Quiros and Miguel Angel Jimenez as Spanish winners of the tournament since it became part of the European Tour in 1972.
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LPGA TOUR
KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) - Brooke Henderson closed with a 3-under 69 in blustery conditions at Ko Olina for a four-shot victory Saturday in the Lotte Championship. With her sixth career victory, the 20-year-year-old Henderson moved within two victories of Sandra Post's record for most LPGA Tour victories by a Canadian.
Henderson finished at 12-under 276. Azahara Munoz of Spain had the low score of the final round, a 67, and enabled her to finish alone in second.
Shanshan Feng (71), Inbee Park (62) and Ariya Jutanugarn (69) tied for third. Michelle Wie, who was born and raised in Hawaii, shot 71 and tied for 11th.
The tournament ended on Saturday.
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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) - Steve Flesch had to play 38 holes in one day to capture his first PGA Tour Champions Title.
The Mitsubishi Electric Classic decided to play 36 holes on Saturday because of rain and lightning in the forecast. Flesch shot rounds of 71-68 to join a three-man playoff that included Berhnard Langer and Scott Parel. They finished at 11-under 205.
Flesch and Parel each made birdie on the par-5 closing hole at the TPC Sugarloaf, while Langer was eliminated from the playoff. Flesch birdied the 18th hole in the second playoff hole to win, while Parel found the water and made bogey.
Langer shot 69-69 on Saturday, while Parel had rounds of 73-64. His final round tied the course record.
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OTHER TOURS
Atomu Shigenaga closed with a 2-over 73 for a one-shot victory over Ryo Ishikawa in the Homemate Token Cup on the Japan Golf Tour. Ishikawa shot 70 in the final round at Token Tado Country Club. K.T. Kim (68) finished third. ... Kim Koivu of Finland closed with a 64 to match the low round of the week and win the Yunnan Open by four shots on the Challenge Tour. It was Koivu's first professional victory. Marcus Armitage of England (69) and Joachim Hansen of Denmark (66) tied for second. ... Cristobal del Solar of Chile closed with a 3-over 74 in Cordoba, Argentina, for a five-shot victory over M.J. Maguire and Maracelo Rozo in the 87 Abierto ODE del Centro on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. ... Mamiko Higa closed with a 6-under 66 and rallied from four shots behind to win the KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open on the Japan LPGA Tour. .. J.J. Senekal closed with a 68 and won a four-man playoff Over Andre De Decker, Jaco Ahlers and Alex Haindl in the Zanaco Masters on the Sunshine Tour.