Shubhankar Sharma soars into the lead in Mexico

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Patton Kizzire won his first PGA TOUR title on Sunday by beating Rickie Fowler in a 36-hole marathon in the rain-plagued OHL Classic at Mayakoba. Kizzire closed with rounds of 66-67 for a one-shot victory over Fowler, who fell four shots behind at El Camaleon Golf Club until staging a late rally that again fell short. Fowler had rounds of 67-67 on the final day. Kizzire won in his 62nd career start on the PGA TOUR, and it required some steady nerves on the back nine when it could have gotten away from him. Leading by four shots with seven holes to play, Kizzire saved par with an 8-foot putt on No. 12, a 10-foot putt on the par-5 13th and an 8-foot putt on the 14th. He had a three-shot lead with three holes to play when Fowler made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole and rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to close within one shot. But from the 18th fairway, Fowler sent his approach some 35 feet left of the flag and left the birdie attempt short. Kizzire had to stand close to his approach shot to keep his feet out the sand, and he hit 8-iron to 25 feet. After Fowler left his birdie attempt well short, Kizzire rapped his putt to within a few inches and tapped in for the winning par. “I was glad to get it done,” Kizzire said. “Rickie made me work hard.” Kizzire finished at 19-under 265 and earned his first trip to the Masters in April. The 31-year-old Kizzire also gets a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR and a spot in the field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua to start next year, and the PGA Championship, along with other select events on tour. Si Woo Kim tried to get into the mix until a double bogey in the middle of his back nine. He still closed with a 65 to finish third, his best finish since he won THE PLAYERS Championship in May. Charles Howell III (66) and Martin Piller (65) finished five shots behind. John Oda of UNLV, playing his first PGA Tour event as a pro, closed with a 70 to finish eighth. That gets him into the RSM Classic next week at Sea Island. Patrick Rodgers began Sunday in a three-way tie for the lead with Kizzire and Fowler, but he started and ended the third round Sunday morning with a double bogey for a 72 that took him out of contention, and he shot 70 in the afternoon to finish nine shots behind. Kizzire won the tournament with key putts on the back nine, but the tournament turned in his favor at the end of the third round. Fowler had a one-shot lead when he made bogey on the 17th hole and Kizzire made birdie. That two-shot swing gave Kizzire a one-shot lead, and he quickly expanded it in the fourth round. Kizzire saved par with a 10-foot putt on No. 1 as Fowler made bogey, and then Kizzire birdied the second hole and is lead was already at three shots. Fowler never got any closer until the final few holes, and by then it was too late. “We gave it a run, kept Patton honest, but he earned it out there today,” Fowler said. Fowler, the only player in the top 10 in the world who played anywhere in the world this week, was playing for the first time since the Presidents Cup five weeks ago. With his runner-up finish — the 12th time in his PGA TOUR career he has finished second — Fowler goes to No. 7 in the world ahead of Rory McIlroy.

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The Children's Hospital of Georgia is starting a new program focused on pediatric behavioral health care, launching with the help of a $50,000 donation from the Kisner Foundation. The organization presented the gift to the Children's Hospital of Georgia on Monday, Dec. 7. The Kisner Foundation's contribution will help start the Children's Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness program, which will address social, emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns in children and adolescents. This program will provide an interdisciplinary approach to Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness that will include collaboration with the Medical College of Georgia Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior and support from the existing Emily S. Baumann Children and Adolescent Psychotherapy Fund. "Augusta University Health and the Children's Hospital of Georgia are grateful for this partnership with the Kisner Foundation," said Katrina Keefer, chief executive officer for the Augusta University Health System and executive vice president for health affairs at Augusta University. "Their generous donation will jumpstart the development of the Children's Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness as we seek to provide the most advanced and comprehensive mental health assessment and treatment options for infants, children and adolescents - and all children who call Georgia home." Dr. Valera Hudson, pediatrician-in-chief at Children's and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, shared similar sentiments. "We diagnose and treat children and adolescents with a variety of problems such as depression, anxiety, attention deficits, and other behavioral problems," said Hudson. "As we see indicators of growing mental health struggles in children, the ongoing support from the Kisner Foundation will help us expand these service offerings within our inpatient and outpatient settings to improve the mental and emotional health of children and adolescents across Georgia." Kisner Foundation is a nonprofit organization created by Aiken, South Carolina, native and PGA Tour golfer Kevin Kisner and his wife, Brittany. The Foundation is committed to providing charitable funding through their three main pillars: Education, Health, and Sports. Their vision is that all children have the opportunities and resources to develop into responsible adults with a bright future. “Brittany and I are honored for our foundation to partner with Children's and support the development of this much needed behavioral health and wellness clinic," said Kevin Kisner. "We know that this program will fill a major void in our area and provide comprehensive care and resources to children with developmental, emotional and behavioral concerns.” “So many families and children in our area have faced extremely long wait times for referrals due to a shortage of mental health providers and developmental pediatricians," Brittany Kisner added. "Families are frustrated and children are falling through the cracks without receiving any services. This integrative behavioral health clinic will provide evaluation and establish a treatment plan and a path forward for these children.” Since 2016, the Kisner Foundation has awarded over $400,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations across the Augusta area. Learn more about the Kisner Foundation. If you would like to support the CHOG Fund for Pediatric Behavioral Health or any initiative at the Children's Hospital of Georgia, please contact Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement at (706) 721-4001.

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Golf club-making veterans Mike Taylor and John Hatfield started Artisan Golf in 2017. The company’s headquarters is in a familiar location in Fort Worth, Texas, in a building formerly known as Nike’s “The Oven,â€� where Taylor and Hatfield used to craft golf clubs for the company and its athletes. Nike exited the hard goods industry in 2016, after which Taylor and Hatfield started making high-end Artisan Golf putters and wedges out of the same shop. In 2018, Patrick Reed won The Masters with a pair of custom Artisan Golf wedges in the bag, putting the company on the map to the mainstream equipment audience. The problem was, Artisan Golf didn’t have a website or a store for mainstream consumers to purchase product. The best way to reach Artisan Golf for a custom order, aside from contacting Taylor or Hatfield directly by phone/email, was on its Instagram account via direct message. Flash forward to 2019, and Artisan Golf has announced a website and online store where consumers can purchase products. Purchasing a product from Artisan may look a bit different than the mainstream buyer is used to, however. “We believe in creating a personal relationship with each and every player,â€� Taylor and Hatfield say on the new website. “Each product we offer is machined, polished, finished, and assembled by our small team of industry veterans after meeting and consulting with each player.â€� For the wedges, which are handcrafted by Taylor, consumers fill out a “wedge inquiry formâ€� to insert contact information and the products of choice. The right-handed only wedges range from 45-61 degrees. Per the website, the forged carbon steel wedges are, “Made to order after consultation with each player. Due to the custom nature of our products, there is a wait list for new players.â€� The putters, which are handcrafted by Hatfield, have multi-material constructions that use titanium and tungsten. They’re available in four different models – a 0117 (square-bumper blade), a 0217 (saddleback bumper blade), a 0318 (square mallet) and a 0418 (round mallet). The putters are also available in left-handed models, according to the website. With the custom putter orders, golfers choose head shape, hosel, milling depth on the face, hand polish (round or square bumpers), sightline, finish, stamping customization, specs and headcover. The putters start at $900 with a satin finish. Each of the products comes with its own serial number. “Each club we make is identified with a serial number which includes your lifetime player number,” the company explained on its website. “This player number is tied to your build folder in our archives and tells us exactly what we have made for you. This makes reordering or modifying specs simple.â€� The website also sells custom headcovers and hats separately. PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here

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