Kisner Secures First PGA Tour Win

Kevin Kisner was all smiles after his win on Sunday.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Kevin Kisner ended a year marked by second-place finishes with his first PGA Tour victory Sunday at Sea Island.

Staked to a three-shot lead going into the final round of the final tournament of the year, Kisner ran with it. He doubled the size of his lead at the turn by going out in 30, and he breezed home with a 6-under 64 to win by six shots over Kevin Chappell.

Kisner became the sixth first-time winner in the fall start to the new season, though this was hardly a surprise.

The 31-year-old played so well this year that he rose to No. 25 in the world. He just didn't win. He lost in playoffs at Hilton Head, Sawgrass and the Greenbrier, and he was a runner-up for the fourth time in a World Golf Championship two weeks ago in Shanghai.

This one wasn't even close.

Kisner rolled in a 6-foot birdie putt on the second hole, and no one got closer than four shots the rest of the way. He tapped in for par on the 18th hole to shatter the tournament record with a 22-under 60.

Better yet was seeing year-old daughter Kate running toward him.

Kisner scooped her up and said, "We did it!"

Did he ever.

"I've just been playing so well all year," Kisner said. "I knew one day it was going to happen when I was going to make all the putts. I did it on the front nine."

If there was a turning point, it would have been on the par-5 seventh hole when Kisner's second shot landed in a native bush in the dunes short of the green. He chose to hammer it out of there and moved it about 5 feet, then chipped 8 feet by the hole. Graeme McDowell missed his 10-foot birdie putt and Kisner holed his for par. His lead stayed at four shots, and Kisner followed with a wedge to 8 feet for birdie on the next hole, and a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 9 to go six clear.

Kisner goes into the six-week break atop the FedEx Cup standings and eager for his next chance. The victory allows him to start 2016 one week earlier in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua.

"I hope the floodgates are open," Kisner said. "You've got to believe you can win on Thursday. I hope that catapults me into believing that every week."

Healy Wins In Hawaii, Secures National Award

Zach Healy shows off his Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic plaque Sunday.

     LAHAINA, Hawaii --- Zach Healy earned medalist honors for the first time in his career as he led the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic.
     Healy, a sophomore, finished at 8-under 205, including an even-par 71 on Sunday on Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course. He claimed a 1-shot victory over Clemson's Brad Dalke.
     "I stayed really patient and tried to play stress-free golf knowing that, in the wind, tap-in pars were really good," Healy said. "I really putted well this week and kept the ball in front of me. I made some key putts and struck the ball real well."
     Afterward, Healy was chosen as the Golfweek Player of the Week.
     The 12th-ranked Bulldogs placed second at 3-under 849 after closing with a 2-over 286. Oklahoma -- coached by former Bulldog Ryan Hybl -- completed a wire-to-wire victory at 15-under 837.
     Healy was supported by senior Lee McCoy, who added a fifth-place finish at 2-over 215.
     The Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic was the Bulldogs' fifth and final fall event. Georgia was second in three events, fourth in one and sixth in one.
     The Bulldogs will return to action in February in the Puerto Rico Classic.
     • Harris English, Hudson Swafford, Brian Harman, Brendon Todd and Erik Compton will be in action this week in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico.
     • Kevin Kisner finished as the runner-up in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China, while English was 23rd, Bubba Watson was 35th and Chris Kirk was 76th.
     • Todd missed the cut in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.

Bulldogs To Conclude Fall In Hawaii Tournament

The Georgia men’s golf team will conclude the fall portion of its 2015-16 schedule this weekend in the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational in Hawaii.

The Bulldogs and 17 other schools will play Friday through Sunday at Ka'anapali Golf Club’s Royal Ka'anapali Course (par 71, 6,700 yards) on Maui. The tournament will begin daily with a 1:30 p.m. EST shotgun start.

The Bulldogs will use a lineup of senior Lee McCoy, juniors Jaime Lopez Rivarola and Greyson Sigg, sophomore Zach Healy, and redshirt freshman Jack Larkin Jr. Redshirt freshman Matthew Beringer will make his collegiate debut playing as an individual.

McCoy leads the Bulldogs with a scoring average of 70.00, followed by Sigg – who The Carmel Cup title in September – at 70.67.

This will be the Bulldogs’ fifth and final fall event. Georgia was second in The Carmel Cup and the East Lake Cup, fourth in the DSG College Challenge Cup and sixth in the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational.

“We’ve had a solid fall,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “We’ve been in the hunt in every tournament. Last fall, we played a pretty similar schedule and we had some finishes in the top 5 but also some in the bottom half. We’ve been more consistent this fall. We’re all excited about playing again in Hawaii. It’s a pretty nice way to wrap up things up.”

• As we mentioned, the Bulldogs went 1-1 to finish as the runner-up at the inaugural East Lake Cup on Tuesday at East Lake Golf Club. The Bulldogs dispatched 2015 SEC and NCAA champion LSU in the semifinals 3-1-1 in a contest that began on Monday and ended on Tuesday. Georgia then went toe-to-toe with Illinois, the nation's top-ranked team, before dropping a 3-1-1 decision. The championship match was decided on extra holes in the competition between Sigg and Illinois' Alex Burge. If Sigg had prevailed, McCoy was all square through 18 with Nick Hardy and also would have played extra holes.

"I am extremely proud of the way our guys played this week," Haack said. "We may not have won the trophy, but we learned a lot about ourselves. We were in situations where the blood was pumping and the nerves were there and we responded positively more often than not. We know we were right there with a chance to win. As a coach, that's all you ever ask of your team."

• The East Lake Cup was a made-for-TV event for the Golf Channel. At least one national radio personality was watching. Start listening at about the 30:50 mark.

• Defending champion Bubba Watson, Harris English, Kevin Kisner and Chris Kirk are in action this week in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China, while Brendon Todd is playing in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.

• In case you missed it, Kirk joined our friends at 960 The Ref in Athens recently. Listen to the interview here.