Kevin Sutherland wins Charles Schwab Cup Championship on 9th playoff hole
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Kevin Sutherland makes birdie on 9th playoff hole at Schwab Cup Championship
PHOENIX — Kevin Sutherland made a 4-foot birdie putt on the ninth playoff hole to beat Paul Broadhurst on Monday in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Sutherland and Broadhurst were forced to return to Phoenix Country Club to finish the final PGA TOUR Champions event of the year after playing to a stalemate over six playoff holes in near darkness on Sunday. They continued to match each other through two playoff holes on a chilly morning in the desert, the second with dueling birdies.
Sutherland finally broke through on the ninth playoff hole, hitting his 163-yard approach shot from the fairway to 4 feet. He made the putt to win his fourth PGA TOUR Champions title after Broadhurst got up-and-down for par from short of the green.
Sutherland won at Phoenix Country Club to clinch the season title in 2017. His win this year was only for the tournament title. The season champion won't be crowned until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
After returning to the course Monday morning, Sutherland two-putted from 30 feet on No. 17, the seventh playoff hole. Broadhurst had it a little tougher after pulling his approach shot, but he chipped to about 4 feet and made the putt to extend the playoff.
The eighth playoff hole final resulted in a birdie. Actually, two to extend the playoff another hole.
Sutherland rolled in a 25-footer on the par-5 18th similar to what he made to force the playoff on Sunday. Broadhurst dropped a 6-footer on top of him to force a ninth playoff hole.
Sutherland and Broadhurst played until it was too dark to see the ball on Sunday, trading one missed birdie putt after another over six playoff holes.
Sutherland had a 20-foot birdie putt lip out on the fifth playoff hole. Broadhurst just missed an 8-footer in near darkness on the sixth playoff hole.
Despite racing around the course and riding in carts between shots, the players finally decided it was just too dark to go on, pushing the finish to early Monday.
Broadhurst has been putting while looking at the hole instead of the ball since returning from the pandemic shutdown, and it worked well as he shot a bogey-free 63 on Sunday to make up a six-shot deficit.
Sutherland led by five shots over Wes Short Jr. after a second-round 64, but he labored through his final round. He rallied to make a 25-foot putt on No. 18 to force the playoff and finish off a 2-under 69.