Sweden’s Tim Widing earns first Korn Ferry Tour title at LECOM Suncoast Classic

Sweden’s Tim Widing earned his first Korn Ferry Tour title Sunday at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, winning a three-man playoff with a par on the second extra hole at Lakewood National Golf Club’s Commander course in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

The victory moves Widing from No. 23 to No. 2 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List through eight of 26 events. The top 30 after the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance will earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership.

“I'm speechless,” Widing said afterward. “It's something I've practiced for every day and something you dream of, and for it to finally happen. … It's a relief to finally pull it off. You keep telling yourself that you're very close, but winning golf tournaments is really tough and I'm just so happy I was able to pull it off. This is incredible.”

Widing completed 72 holes at 20-under 264, tied with Patrick Cover and Steven Fisk, who was looking for a second straight victory after winning the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club earlier this month.

Cover was eliminated with a bogey on the first playoff hole, the par-4 18th, as Widing and Fisk made par. Widing got up-and-down from just left of the green, while Fisk two-putted from 13 feet. Fisk found trouble off the tee at the second extra hole, again No. 18, as he missed the fairway to the right off the tee, played his second shot to short-right of the green, pitched to 15 feet and couldn’t convert for par. Widing found the fairway and green in regulation and two-putted for the winning par.

Widing becomes the eighth consecutive first-time winner to begin the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season, which is the second-longest streak in Tour history (10 in 2002). This was also the fifth consecutive Korn Ferry Tour event to require a playoff, the longest such streak in the circuit’s history.

Widing, 26, finished No. 46 on last year’s Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie, notching eight top 25s in 25 starts, his season highlighted by a T3 at the Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank and a pair of T4s in a three-event summertime stretch. After concluding the season with three missed cuts in four starts, he retooled during his first offseason as a Korn Ferry Tour member and came out firing in 2024.

“As a rookie, you want to learn as much as possible,” Widing said. “Had those stretches in the middle of the summer where you play like seven weeks in a row. I feel like that was too much golf for me, I was trying to chase it a little bit too much. This year, knowing I have my full card, being able to schedule a little bit better and take a few tournaments off has been very helpful.

“That's probably the biggest difference, just knowing what's ahead of me and probably learn from the mistakes I did last year.”

The Swede arrived at the LECOM at No. 23 on the season-long Points List in a steady campaign that included five top-26 finishes in his first seven starts. With no finish better than eighth, though, he was waiting for things to come together. They did just that at Lakewood National, where he carded rounds of 67-64-67-66 – including three birdies in his last six holes Sunday – to earn a spot in the playoff. Then he took advantage.

Widing turned pro in 2021 after a successful college career at the University of San Francisco, which included honorable mention All-American honors as a senior in 2019-20. He competed on the 2022 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, finishing No. 33 on the season-long Totalplay Cup, and he earned Korn Ferry Tour status via Q-School, securing guaranteed starts with a T29 at Final Stage.

Widing has maintained a close relationship with fellow Swede Ludvig Åberg, with whom he attended high school (at Filbornaskolan, a sports-focused boarding school outside Helsingborg, Sweden). Åberg has quickly ascended in the professional golf ranks after finishing atop the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, winning The RSM Classic last fall and finishing runner-up at last week’s Masters Tournament.

After a dramatic victory in Florida, Widing looks poised to join his countryman on TOUR next season.

“He’s unbelievable,” Widing said. “It's been fun watching him in college and what he's doing right now. It just doesn't seem to faze him, all the pressure. He's top 10 and almost winning every week.

“I think Sweden's got a very bright future ahead and I'd love to be part of that. Trying to follow his footsteps and hopefully I'll be on the PGA TOUR with him next year.”

Notes

• Steven Fisk (T2/-20) fell short of his bid for back-to-back wins after falling to Widing in the second hole of the sudden-death playoff
  • Fisk posted a 3-under 68 in the final round for his 10th consecutive round under par, dating back to the second round of the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard (MC)
• 54-hole leader Patrick Cover (T2/-20), making his 54th career start on the Korn Ferry Tour, records his best career finish with a T2 (previous: 2023 NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank/sixth)
• Dallas, Texas, native Noah Goodwin (T4/-19), who went bogey-free over his last 27 holes, notched his third top-10 of the year and best finish of the season with a T4
  • Goodwin turned in a bogey-free 8-under 63 on Sunday, making birdie on the par-4 first, second, fourth, fifth, 11th and 16th, as well as the par-5 ninth and 10th
• Norway’s Kris Ventura (T4/-19) finishes inside the top-5 in consecutive starts (Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club/T4) and posts his third top-5 of the season; he didn’t finish better than T7 in 22 starts last year on Tour (Twice: Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard, Visit Knoxville Open)
• Cody Blick (T6/-18), making his 60th career start, claimed his first top-10 finish of the 2024 campaign
  • Blick, making his 60th career start on Tour, finished No. 41 on the 2023 Points List to earn fully exempt status for the 2024 season (top 75 from Points List)
• 2024 Korn Ferry Tour winner Mason Andersen (T8/-17) making his eighth start of the year, collects his Tour-leading fourth top-10 with a T8 finish after a 4-under 67 final round; had four top-10s in total last season in 26 starts
• Frankie Capan III (T8/-17), who finished No. 51 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, finishes inside the top 10 for the second event in a row with a final round bogey-free 5-under 66 (Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club/T9)
• Greensburg, Pennsylvania, native Mark Goetz (T12/-16), making his eighth career Korn Ferry Tour start, places T12 after a 3-under 68 in the final round to earn a start at next week’s Veritex Bank Championship in Arlington, Texas
  • The University of West Virginia product received medalist honors at Second Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-school presented by Korn Ferry to earn guaranteed starts in the first eight events of the 2024 season
• Miles Russell (T20/-14), at 15 years, 5 months, 20 days of age, became the youngest player ever to finish top-25 on the Korn Ferry Tour or PGA TOUR (on record/since 1983); Si Woo Kim is the only other player under 18-years-old to record a top-25 on Korn the Korn Ferry Tour (T11/2013 Mid-Atlantic Championship/17 years, 11 months, 5 days).
  • Entered the week as the third-youngest player to compete in a Korn Ferry Tour event, only behind Michelle Wie West (13/2003 Albertsons Boise Open) and Esteban Jaramillo (2016 Astara Golf Championship)
  • Became the youngest player to make the cut in a Korn Ferry Tour event (previous youngest: Gipper Finau, 16 years and 20 days/2006 Utah Championship)
  • Finished under par each day with rounds of 68-66-70-66 on the par-71 Commander Course at Lakewood National Golf Club; holed seven birdies (Nos. 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13) against two bogeys (Nos. 8, 18) in his final round
• Alistar Docherty (T20/-14) records his first top 25 of the season after a final round 1-under 70; owns three made cuts in six starts this season
  • Docherty earned guaranteed starts for the first 12 events of the 2024 season by virtue of a T21 finish at Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-school presented by Korn Ferry (first 25 finishers and ties)
• In six playings, three LECOM Suncoast Classic have now been decided by a playoff (2023/Scott Gutschewski defeated Logan McAlliste; 2021/Hayden Buckley defeated Dawson Armstrong and Taylor Montgomery)