Greyson Sigg wins Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron, takes over top spot in Korn Ferry Tour points standings

BOISE, Idaho – A closing par at the 18th was enough for Greyson Sigg to clinch his second Korn Ferry Tour title at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron, edging playing partner Aaron Rai and J.J. Spaun by a stroke at 19-under 265. Rai came to the final hole with a one-stroke lead, but a double bogey at the last allowed Sigg the win at Hillcrest Country Club.

“Nobody wants to win a golf tournament that way to be honest, but it was a hard shot and I guarantee you he wasn’t trying to get it all the way to the hole,” said Sigg after Rai’s chip from next to the green rolled downhill off the front of the green. “He was probably trying to get it on the green and let it roll down…but the ball just never stopped rolling. From there I knew it was going to be a tough up and down from down. I was ready for more golf but luckily I didn’t have to do that.”

Sigg is one of 25 players who earned their PGA TOUR card through the season-long points standings last week after the regular season finale. He described his mindset in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals as “playing with house money.” With the win and his new ascension to No. 1 in the points standings, Sigg can focus on another goal: earning full exempt status on the PGA TOUR in 2021-22 and an exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship by earning the top spot in the season-long points standings.

“It’s been my goal ever since I won to become No. 1, so I was actually going to go home and see my family and my dog tomorrow morning, but I think I’m going to have to change my flight and go to Columbus now,” laughed Sigg. “That’s a big deal and I’m super happy to be headed there…That’s my goal moving forward and I have a busy two weeks ahead of me.”

Sigg got off to a quick start with birdies on two of his first three holes and tacked on three more on the front nine to turn in 5-under 31. He bogeyed the 11th hole but bounced back with birdies at the 14th and 16th for a closing 6-under 65.

Rai, an Englishman making his debut on the Korn Ferry Tour, looked to be in control throughout the back nine before stumbling at the 72nd hole. The 26-year-old is a two-time winner on the European Tour who notably defeated Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff at the 2020 Scottish Open. He entered the week No. 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Despite the disappointing finish, Rai secured his first PGA TOUR card with a top-five finish.

“It definitely hasn’t set in yet,” said Rai. “When I was playing I was obviously just focusing on the win. And the overriding emotion right now is disappointment after finishing that way. It was very tough. But to have status on the PGA TOUR after the first event of the Finals is incredible really if I take a step back.”

Rai joined Spaun at 18-under as Spaun returns to the PGA TOUR where he has competed full time since 2017. In addition to the duo that finished T2, Lucas Herbert and Matthias Schwab have also likely earned their way to the PGA TOUR with their T4 finishes. Both will likely be PGA TOUR members in 2021-22 for the first time. Stephan Jaeger joined Herbert and Schwab at T4 as well, though he locked up his 2021-22 PGA TOUR status already through the regular season.

The Korn Ferry Tour will head to Columbus, Ohio, next week for the second leg of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.

Final-Round Notes

• Sunday’s weather: Sunny with a high of 83 degrees and winds S/SE at 5-12 mph With the win, Sigg leaps from sixth to first in the season-long points standings after Stephan Jaeger held the top spot over the past 15 tournaments; Sigg now has 3,125 points to Jaeger’s 3,034 points
• The Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron was the first event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, a three-event series to determine the second set of 25 PGA TOUR cards given out for the 2021-22 season; the first set of 25 PGA TOUR cards was given out last week to the top-25 point earners through the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour regular season
• With the Korn Ferry Tour Finals consisting of three tournaments, players who finish inside the top-five at each of the three tournaments are projected to finish inside the Finals 25
• Greyson Sigg’s 6-under 65 was matched by Vincent Whaley’s (T10) 65 as the low rounds on Sunday
• Aaron Rai was three-for-three in scrambling attempts on Sunday entering the final hole before he failed to get up and down
• Defending tournament champion Stephan Jaeger (-17, T4) carded an ace at the par-3 fourth hole; Jaeger had previously never had an ace in a Korn Ferry Tour or PGA TOUR event
• The Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron is one of the original four tournaments from 1990 that are still on the Korn Ferry Tour’s schedule; famous Korn Ferry Tour alumni have played in Boise on their way to the PGA TOUR, including Jason Day (2007), Bubba Watson (2005), Xander Schauffele (2016) and Justin Thomas (2014)
• This week’s purse was $1 million with $180,000 going to the champion, Greyson Sigg; Sigg also receives 1,000 Korn Ferry Tour points