Jordan Spieth hits a clutch shot as he defeats Patrick Cantlay in a playoff to win the RBC Heritage. There is a time and a place.
On the 18th hole, Jordan Spieth thought he might have a chance for a playoff and rolled in a 10-footer. He made a bigger shot at the Harbour Town hole to win the tournament.
On Easter Sunday, he beat Patrick Cantlay with a tap-in par on the lighthouse hole after his 56-foot shot from a greenside Bunker stopped 7 inches away.
Sometimes, he said, there is a tournament where you feel you have played well, but not good enough to win.
He got them all.
The stellar field that had several chances to tie or move in front, had several chances to tie or move in front, as well as four groups ahead of the leader. All except Cantlay were unable to chase down the man who stayed away from the action after he finished.
It was more nerve-racking than actually playing.
The FedEx Cup champion was certain that he would pass him by, past Open Championship winner and third-round leader Harold Varner III. When all three parred the 15th, the best chance for a score on the back nine, he felt his chances improved.
When he finished, he was behind the leader. On the par 3 14th, a chip by Lowry went across the green and into the water, leading to a double bogey. He finished a stroke back after a 69.
After Cantlay made a winning putt on the first hole of a sudden death playoff, after he hit his approach on the green on the 17th, he headed out to loosen up.
The playoff was set by Cantlay.
In the playoff, Cantlay hit into the front Bunker, with his lie looking like a fried egg. He missed the par putt after hitting 35 feet.
He used a 9-iron in the playoff, which was 179 yards from the hole, as he did in regulation. The shot was short of the green and in an awful position.
It is near impossible to get it close with it plugged like that.
Three strokes behind Varner entering the round, Spieth eagled both front-nine par-5s to get into the mix.
On Easter, he won the Valero Texas Open to end a four-year winless streak.
Is Easter Sunday next? The Masters is over.
"That's good vibes," said the three-time major champion, including the Masters in 2015.
Varner was one stroke back along with J.T. Poston, Sepp Straka, and Matt Kuchar.
He has won from the hole before. He won the Travelers Championship with a greenside Bunker shot on the first extra hole.
There was a chance for others besides Cantlay to catch up. After tying Spieth at 13 under with a bogey on the 17th, he bogeyed the final hole after his approach found some gnarly long grass in front of the green. Varner had a number of chances to make a hole-in-one, but could not.
Early on, he took off with eagles. He holed out on the second hole. He rolled in a 24 footer on the fifth hole as the gallery erupted in cheers.
After a bogey on the ninth and a double bogey on the 11th, he fell back to 11 under. He moved into striking position with a bogey on the 13th, then made a putt from 10 feet on the lighthouse hole to get to 13 under.
He was upset about missing the cut at Augusta National. It was the worst feeling I have had as a golfer.
That turned around at Harbour Town in front of a sold-out crowd.
I was surprised by the amount of support that everyone had this week, and I felt a lot of it.
The tournament falls after the Masters week, so it has only been played by him three times since 2015.
It was a great tournament to win.
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