Rhein Gibson wins at rain-shortened BMW Charity Pro-Am

GREENVILLE, South Carolina – In a tournament shortened to 54 holes due to inclement weather throughout the week, Australian Rhein Gibson came out on top with a 21-under 193 to capture the win at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation. With his first Web.com Tour victory, Gibson earns 500 points and locks up his PGA TOUR card for the 2019-20 season.

Gibson carded a bogey-free 8-under 63 to overcome a two-shot deficit to start the round. He tallied three birdies and an eagle on the front nine before tacking on three more at Nos. 10, 15 and 16 to reach 21-under.

“I wasn’t sure we’d get 54 holes in, but I wanted to go out there with the clean mindset that we’d get 54 in,” Gibson said. “I tried to keep the pedal down and try and make as many birdies as I can. Fortunately, I was able to win by three strokes. It sets me up for another stint on the PGA TOUR so I’m excited.”

The last time a Web.com Tour tournament was shortened to 54 holes was at the 2018 North Mississippi Classic. The last time the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX was shortened to 54 holes was in 2017.

With most of the golf world talking about amateur Alex Ross shooting a 15-under 57 this week, Gibson’s name has been brought up in the news. Gibson holds the world record (recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records) with a 16-under 55 as the lowest official round of golf ever recorded. Gibson accomplished the feat in 2012 at River Oaks Golf Club in Edmund, Oklahoma.

“Shooting 55 was very sweet don’t get me wrong, but I don’t want to be known for it,” Gibson said. “It’s great to validate that with a good win today, especially on television. I know what I’ve been doing is correct, I’m really happy to see it pay off.”

Gibson ranked in the top-20 in several statistical categories. He finished T5 in greens in regulation (47/54), T8 in putts per round (28) and T17 in driving accuracy (31/40). With the win, Gibson will return to the PGA TOUR for the second time. He competed on TOUR in 2016, making nine of 20 cuts with a career-high finish of T25 at the 2016 Barracuda Championship.

“I had a great week last week where I finished fourth, so I got back on the right track with the guys with points, moving to 32nd,” said Gibson, who moved from 32nd to seventh on the Web.com Tour points standings. “I knew a couple of good events coming up would lock it up, but to lock it up with a win and move into the top 10 is kind of special, especially to do it here in Greenville, South Carolina.”

Michael Miller finished as the runner-up at 18-under, three strokes off the winning score. The finish is the highest of his career, replacing his previous high of T11 at the 2018 United Leasing & Finance Championship. The Penn State product entered the week having missed 10 of 12 cuts this season with a best finish of T50. With the win Miller jumps from 188th to 49th in the Regular Season points standings.

“This was a huge week for me," Miller said. “Solo-second, I think that is close to enough points that I don’t have to worry about things for the rest of the year. I want to build off of this week and keep going. I know now that the game is there and I can play under pressure. Just hats off to Rhein. He shot 63 and I got to watch a few of his shots. I played bogey-free in the final round. You can’t ask for much more than that, especially in an environment that is relatively new to me.”

Brian Campbell, Jonathan Randolph and Kristoffer Ventura tied for third at 16-under 198.