Kisner Has Impressive Showing In The Players

Kevin Kisner reacts as his ball stops inches from the 18th hole in regulation
during the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday.

Kevin Kisner was oh-so-close – again!

Just a couple of weeks removed from his runner-up finish in a playoff with Jim Furyk on Hilton Head, Kisner came in second again at The Players Championship on Sunday.

Kisner, eventual winner Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia finished regulation at 12-under 276. Kisner got up-and-down for birdie on the 16th and holed a 10-footer for birdie on the 17th. He had a 10-foot birdie putt for the win in regulation, and it touched the right side of the cup but did not fall in.

For the first time, The Players went to a three-hole aggregate playoff starting on the par-5 16th, where they all made par. Kisner rolled in a breaking 10-foot birdie putt on the island-green 17th to keep pace with Fowler, who hit his tee shot to six feet and converted the birdie. Garcia, who in regulation made a 45-foot birdie to give him new life, failed to repeat the putt from about the same range in the playoff. All three players made par on the final hole, which eliminated Garcia.

Fowler and Kisner headed back to the 17th hole for the third time. Kisner barely cleared the mound and the ball settled 12 feet away. Fowler answered by taking on the right side of the green and sticking it just inside five feet. Kisner was unable to sink his birdie putt and Fowler was.

"You don't expect out here for anybody to hand it to you," Kisner said. "These guys are all good and everybody's going to step up when the time's needed. This playoff was really good and the way guys closed it out, everybody made birdies coming in down the stretch to get to the playoff. So, it was a cool way to finish and I'm looking forward to getting to Charlotte (for this week's Wells Fargo Championship) and playing again."

Kisner's performance was all the more impressive considering he was competing in his first Players -- and looking for his first PGA Tour victory.

“If any player watched this today, I’ll tell you what, not one of them wants to be in a playoff with Kevin Kisner going forward," said Frank Nobilo, a former Tour pro now working for Golf Channel. "He flat out said, ‘I don’t care who you are; I’m going to take you on.’”

Kisner's coach, John Tillery, wasn't surprised by Kisner's gritty performance.

"You'd think he did enough to win both of them," said Tillery. "He's always had that confidence. From the first day we worked together, he told me, ‘If you can get me to hit it good enough to get in contention, I can win out there.’ He isn't scared."

"I felt awesome out there playing," Kisner said. "I've been in that situation just a few weeks ago, so I probably relied on that a lot, coming down the stretch. But I hit every shot like I wanted to. I thought I made it in regulation; I really did. I thought that was over right then. My hat's off to Rickie; he played great. Two great birdies on 17, just came up short. I'll get mine."

The nine Bulldogs had another great showing in The Players. After Kisner’s runner-up finish, Brian Harman came in eighth at 8-under, 54-hole leader Chris Kirk took 13th at 7-under, Russell Henley came in 24th at 5-under, Erik Compton placed 30th at 4-under, Bubba Watson was 42nd at 2-under and Brendon Todd finished 51st at 1-under, while Harris English missed the cut.

• Kevin Kisner, Erik Compton and Brian Harman will be back in action this week in the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina.

• Justin Bolli, Bryden Macpherson and Scott Parel will play in the Web.com Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina. Ryuji Imada is one of the alternates.

• By virtue of his fifth-place finish in the PGA Tour Canada Q-School, Nicholas Reach will be exempt through the first six events of 2015 (beginning with the PC Financial Open on May 28) and subject to the re-shuffle. Mookie DeMoss came in 34th to earn conditional status.

• Dates to remember:
Chris Haack Golf Camp Session 1: June 7-10
Chris Haack Golf Camp Session 2: June 11-14
Bulldog Open: Sept. 18
Lettermen's Tournament: Oct. 2
Contact Denise (dsaliba@sports.uga.edu, 706-369-6066) with any questions.