The Zurich Classic’s first edition as a two-man team event has been an overwhelming success. It has been 36 years since the PGA Tour stretched its legs and had a two-man event, and this was a welcome change for the players and fans from the usual 72-hole stroke play monotony.
Kevin Kisner’s dramatic chip-in forces Monday playoff at Zurich Classic
A wild finish in New Orleans means we’ll need another day to get a resolution at the Zurich Classic.
But four days will not be enough to decide our winner. That’s because the final group of Cameron Smith/Jonas Blixt and Kevin Kisner/Scott Brown are all tied up at 27-under. After a six-plus-hour weather delay on Sunday, the entire final round was a race to beat the sunset in New Orleans. By the time that final group reached the 18th green, it was almost completely dark, and the power scoreboards and video boards providing light on the final hole. It looked like Smith and Blixt, who had a multi-shot lead the past couple days, would wrap it up and get us in on time, with both players having a good look at birdie on the finishing par-5. Smith hit one of the all-time wedge shots to under three feet for a sure birdie.
That meant either Kisner or Brown, the two South Carolina friends who began the final round on a complete tear with 10 birdies in their first 11 holes, would have to hole out for eagle. Kisner did just that, ripping victory from the Smith/Blixt duo.
That’s one of the more dramatic finishing hole-outs in several years on Tour, reminiscent of Matt Jones’ chip-in at Houston a few years ago. That, of course, locked up a win for Jones. After Blixt missed his birdie try, Smith tapped in his three-footer for birdie to make the playoff official.
There was no way they were going to get in even one extra hole on Sunday. The players had to go to scoring and finish all those clerical matters, and then get back out to the 18th for the extra hole. It was completely dark minutes after they hit the scoring trailer and the PGA Tour announced the playoff will begin on Monday at 9 a.m. ET.
Monday finishes are never ideal, but given the fireworks we got at the end on Sunday, we’ll be ready for what could be a quick 10-minute conclusion at TPC Louisiana.
Update: Here’s a cool video from the PGA Tour’s Charlie Kane, who was one the ground and greenside at the 18th. The TV cameras always make it look much lighter than it really is when these events go deep into the night.
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