Winner’s Bag: Viktor Hovland, World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba

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OPELIKA, Ala.  — Grayson Murray unhappily found himself with a couple of extra days to prepare for the Barbasol Championship — and ended up with a breakthrough victory. After missing the weekend cut last week in the John Deere Classic, the rookie won his first PGA TOUR title Sunday. He holed a 5-foot par putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory. Murray closed with a 3-under 68 to edge Chad Collins on Grand National’s Lake Course. The 23-year-old former Wake Forest and Arizona State player set up the winning par with a long putt from below the hole. He finished at 21-under 263, a tournament record. “I was in control,” said Murray, who earned $630,000. “I didn’t get out of my game plan once. I was going to let them make the mistakes instead of myself. I was going to make them have to birdie the last hole, or the last two holes. I was playing for par on 17 and 18. Those are two hard holes and I knew if I parred both of those they would have to do something special to beat me.” Murray arrived in Alabama a week earlier after suddenly finding himself with an open weekend. It paid off, the win securing him a spot in the PGA Championship in his home state of North Carolina, though not the Masters. Murray came in ranked 124th in the FedEx Cup standings, with the top 125 qualifying for the playoffs. He jumped to 58th. “My goal is to get in the playoffs this year,” he said. “That was my goal. I didn’t set my goals too high for my first year.” A big key to his victory: “That was the best I’ve ever driven it in my life.” Collins closed with a 68 two days after posting one of the tournament’s two rounds of 60. A tap-in for par on No. 18 left him waiting to see if Murray would stumble. Collins had a run of four birdies in five holes leading into the 18th. He missed a 6-footer with a shot at another one and a potential tie with Murray. “I gave myself an opportunity,” he said. “It was a nervy bad putt. It wasn’t obviously what I wanted, but to put yourself in that position, that’s ultimately what you’re trying to do. And the more times I’m able to do that and put myself in that situation, maybe one day it will be my day. Just today it wasn’t.” Collins tied for fourth at The Honda Classic and his best previous finish was third last year in the Texas Open. “It’s my best finish ever out here on TOUR, had the best round I’ve ever had on TOUR,” he said. “You gain tons of confidence from this going forward. You can only draw positives from it. ” Brian Gay had a 65 to tie for third at 19 under with third-round leader Scott Stallings (71) and Tag Ridings (69). Coming off a third-round 60, Stallings took the solo lead with a birdie on No. 10 that put him under par for the first time of the day. He fell back with a double bogey on the par-5 16th, three-putting after taking a drop following an errant drop. Amateur Sam Burns of LSU tied for sixth at 18 under after a 66, matching Ryan Blaum (64) and Cameron Tringale (68). Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk, who didn’t qualify for the British Open, finished at 11 under after a third straight 68. The final round started early on two tees because of a bad weather forecast, but the conditions held steady in sweltering heat.

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From green jacket to plaid jacket. As the golfing world still basks in all the feels of a Tiger Woods win at the Masters the PGA TOUR continues down the road at Hilton Head with plenty of stars wanting to get their names back in the headlines. The RBC Heritage at the famous Harbour Town Golf Links has long rewarded precision over power, creating some old school excitement. Plenty of players are looking to take some momentum from Augusta National while others are happy to have a new week to start again. Here’s a look at some of the Featured Groups (FedExCup ranking in parenthesis). Related: Tee times | Power Rankings | Expert Picks | Sleepers HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7:15 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). International subscribers (via GOLF.tv): Thursday-Friday, 11:15 to 22:00 GMT. Saturday-Sunday, 13:00 to 22:00. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). Bryson DeChambeau (18) – Fresh off his first hole-in-one ever – on Sunday at Augusta no less – DeChambeau comes to a course he’s had two previous top fives. He missed the playoff last season by a shot but has won four times since then. Satoshi Kodaira (151) – The defending champion at Hilton Head who came from six back in the final round to force a playoff. Is hoping to invigorate his FedExCup challenge at a friendly place. Matt Kuchar (1) – The FedExCup leader already has victories at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and the Sony Open in Hawaii and was a recent runner up at the World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play. Round 1 tee time: 12:40 p.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 8:00 a.m. ET Dustin Johnson (5) – The three winners of the World Golf Championship events this season are paired together starting with Johnson who is back at world No. 1. As a South Carolina native Johnson is coming off a runner up finish at the Masters and is searching for PGA TOUR win no. 21. Kevin Kisner (15) – Another home state hero this week Kisner comes off his recent Dell Technologies Match Play win and has confidence from two previous top-10s at Harbour Town, including a playoff loss in 2015. Xander Schauffele (2) – Two-time winner this season back at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions and the Sentry Tournament of champions. Coming off a runner up finish at the Masters. Round 1 tee time: 12:50 p.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 8:10 a.m. ET Tommy Fleetwood (46) – Tournament debut for the Englishman who boasts recent top fives at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship. Graeme McDowell (41) – A winner at the RBC Heritage in 2013 and a winner recently at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Brandt Snedeker (37) – The 2011 champion at RBC Heritage and the 2012 FedExCup champion is chasing his 10th PGA TOUR title. Round 1 tee time: 8:00 a.m. ET, Round 2 tee time: 12:40 p.m. ET Francesco Molinari (12) – Smarting from his Masters loss Molinari still has three PGA TOUR wins in his last 15 starts including recently at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard. Webb Simpson (39) – The 2018 PLAYERS Champion has three top 10s already this season. Five top-15s at Harbour Town since 2010. Jordan Spieth (142) – The 2015 FedExCup champion continues his quest to get his game back in top shape, making his first RBC Heritage start since 2015. Round 1 tee time: 8:10 a.m. ET Round 2 tee time: 12:50 p.m. ET

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