Quick 9: Harsher penalties will curb slow play

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler were the biggest names among the contenders Sunday at The Honda Classic. Vijay Singh was the oldest – and most decorated. In the end, the trio came up short to Keith Mitchell – whose birdie from 15-1/2 feet on the final hole made him a first-time PGA TOUR winner — but each of the three left PGA National feeling upbeat about the rest of their seasons. Koepka and Fowler, local residents who live a short distance from each other, tied for second at 8 under after some late heroics gave them hope for a playoff. Singh, the 56-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer seeking to become the oldest winner in PGA TOUR history, was in the mix until an errant tee shot at the 17th found the water. “It’s always exciting to be in the hunt, no matter where you play,â€� said Singh, who shot an even-par 70 playing in the final group of the day with 54-hole leader Wyndham Clark. “Something’s going on. You’re excited. Something’s going to happen. … It’s exciting.â€� Very exciting, to say the least. Ryan Palmer, who teed off more than four hours ahead of the lead group, posted the number to beat at 7 under after a sizzling 63 moved him from T-39 to the clubhouse lead. That stood up for two hours until Lucas Glover joined him after his 66. Koepka, though, was three groups behind Glover and was deftly navigating the treacherous Bear Trap – hole Nos. 15, 16 and 17 that often decide the outcome at The Honda Classic. He birdied the par-4 16th, then eliminated Palmer and Glover from consideration with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 18th. But when he walked toward the scoring area, he feared the worst. “I had the same feeling I had at Valero when Kevin Chappell won [in 2017 with a finishing birdie],â€� Koepka said. “It just wasn’t going to be enough.â€� Fowler was next to finish at 8 under, thanks to three birdies in his last four holes. It was a sizzling stretch for the 2017 Honda champ, who won the Waste Management Phoenix Open last month. But like Koepka, he was worried he might’ve come up one short. “I thought 9 was good,â€� Fowler said. “I thought 8 might have a chance. … Obviously with a jam-packed leaderboard, you knew it was going to come down to the last hole with five or six guys or so up there.â€� Neither Koepka nor Fowler had their “Aâ€� games this week, but they still found a way to contend – a sign of good things as the TOUR heads into its run of big events the next few months. “I’m proud of the way I kind of fought through things,â€� Fowler said, citing lost shots at the ninth and 10th holes that could’ve proved the difference. “I didn’t drive it quite that well today but hit some quality golf shots when I needed to, and nice to finish with three birdies in the last four.â€� Said Koepka: “I didn’t hit the ball particularly well all week. I putted very well – that’s what I’m pleased about, coming into Augusta and THE PLAYERS, trending nicely. That was one thing that I felt like was missing. … “I don’t need my ‘A’ game to be in contention. I feel like as long as I do one thing really well – whether it’s iron play, putting this week – I’m going to be in contention. I’m going to give myself a chance at a win come Sunday with nine holes to go, and that’s all you want to do.â€� It’s been a while since Singh was in contention on the PGA TOUR on the back nine – the last of his 34 TOUR wins came 11 years ago – but he impressed just by hanging tough. Of course, that shouldn’t be a surprise, given his work ethic and success rate. Singh has gradually shifted his playing schedule for more starts on PGA TOUR Champions, although he’s scheduled to play the next two TOUR events – including THE PLAYERS Championship, thanks to his win last year at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. Asked if this week’s outcome might cause him to reassess his playing schedule beyond that, Singh gave a little grin. “I’m pretty set with it. It’s pretty hard work out here,â€� he said. “I’ll see what happens in the next two weeks. If I’m still playing the same, I’ll think about it.â€�

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In the final round of the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, Patton Kizzire holds off nerves and a hard-charging Rickie Fowler with a bogey-free 67 at El Camaleon Golf Club. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Kizzire, who won twice on the Web.com Tour in 2015, enters the winner’s circle for the first time on the PGA TOUR to earn 500 FedExCup points and entry into the 2018 Sentry Tournament of Champions, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters, the PGA Championship and other select invitational events on TOUR. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Kizzire is a fast starter. Of his three top-10s last season, when he was 99th in the FedExCup, his best was a runner-up at the season-opening Safeway Open. He entered the last round at Silverado with a one-shot lead over Scott Piercy but shot a 2-under 70 to drop one behind winner Brendan Steele. Two years ago, also in his season debut, Kizzire tied for second at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. And now, after missing the cut at the Safeway (a rare hiccup) and a solid Sanderson Farms Championship (T10) and Shriners (T4), he wins in his fourth start of the new season. Don’t count him out at this week’s RSM Classic at Sea Island, either. He lives there. 2. El Camaleon’s first hole was a brute. The 438-yard par-4 played to a 4.321 average, hardest of the final round, and gave players fits in the third round, too. Charles Howell III (T4) and Patrick Rodgers (T14) each double-bogeyed it. Martin Piller (T4) triple-bogeyed it. That was particularly hard on Rodgers and Piller, who were embarking on a 36-hole Sunday. “I just tried to stay patient and say, Okay, you’ve got 35 more holes to make it up,� Piller said. “I didn’t hit the tee shot that bad, but it got up in the wind and went right. It was only like a foot out of bounds. The provisional went down the middle, and then I hit it on and promptly three-putted.� 3. Rickie Fowler is a top-10 machine. Fowler, who was making his season debut and his first start at Mayakoba, shot 65-67-67-67 and might have won but for the fact that he bogeyed the par-5 fifth hole and couldn’t buy a putt in the middle of his round, from holes 7-12. Last season Fowler had 10 top-10 finishes, including a win at The Honda Classic, in 21 starts. Now he’s one-for-one in top-10s for the new season, and his earnings of $766,800 for solo second put him over the $30 million mark in career earnings at age 28. Not a bad consolation prize. 4. Hard work pays off. Martin Piller (65, T4) played just three practice holes on Tuesday, and none Wednesday. He putted. “I hadn’t been putting the way I normally do,� said Piller, who will turn 32 on Tuesday. “So I just camped out on the putting green. I’m an okay ball-striker, but if my putting is good I’ll be in good shape.� His putting at Mayakoba was beyond good. Piller took just 22 putts in the final round Sunday and totaled 97 for the tournament, eight fewer than the next best, Fowler and Russell Knox. “I made a bunch from the fringes this week,� Piller said. 5. Si Woo Kim is going to win this tournament. Kim (65, solo third), who became the youngest winner of THE PLAYERS Championship last season, was 6-under through 13 holes in the final round but blocked his tee shot into the hazard and double-bogeyed the 14th hole. He bounced back with birdies at Nos. 15 and 17 to notch his best result since coming out on top at TPC Sawgrass last May. In 2015, Kim was tied for third at the halfway mark at El Camaleon but fell back with weekend rounds of 72-70 that saw him finish T17.  FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Kizzire was four for four in scrambling in the final round, and 13 of 18 (13th best) for the week. He took just 107 putts over the four rounds, tied for fifth best in the field, and hit 54 of 72 greens in regulation, tied for seventh best. 2. The winner was one of four players who went bogey-free in the final round, the others being Brian Stuard (65, T9), Charles Howell (66, T4) and Ryan Moore (68, T6). 3. Fowler was second in both average driving distance (299.2 yards), which was not a terribly important stat at El Camaleon, and putts per round (26.25), which was.  4. Charles Howell III achieved his T4 finish, going 66-66 in the third and fourth rounds, the old-fashioned way: hitting fairways and greens. He hit 42 of 56 fairways, tied for 12th best (and a crucial stat at tree-lined El Camaleon), and 59 of 72 greens in regulation, tied for second best. 5. It was a great week for Mexico in many ways, especially with the scores. Four of the five Mexicans in the field made the cut, a record in the 11-year history of the OHL. Abraham Ancer, who has dual U.S./Mexico citizenship, went 65-68 to finish T9 and lead the native sons.   TOP THREE VIDEOS Rooftop rob hangout Hanging on the edge Better than birdie for Byrd

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