Kisner on course for breakthrough win

Kevin Chappell signed for a 3-under-par 33-34=67 after the final round of The RSM Classic to wrap his fourth appearance at 16-under 266.

This time, everyone has to catch him.

Kisner becomes the 6th first-time victor this season.

“What I’ve learned is you just can’t hold back on this tour”, Kisner said. “Any time you think you’re doing great, somebody else is, too”.

“If I play the way I have since Hilton Head, I feel like a top 20 player”, he said.

Closing with three straight birdies not only gave Kisner the lead, he set the 54-hole record at Sea Island at 16-under 196.

He recovered with a pair of birdies on the par 5s, two more birdies on the front nine and a 70 at Plantation that allowed him to make the cut on the number at 2-under 140.

Graeme McDowell experienced a nervous moment at the RSM Classic after hitting a spectator with a wild tee shot – but it wasn’t just your average fan.

McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion, got to the first fairway, marked the ball’s position and picked it up and cleaned it, thinking in error that lift, clean and place rules were being used, as they had been for the past 11 PGA rounds and 17 of the past 18. That’s a one-shot penalty. It worked out perfectly at the par-5 15th on the Seaside Course.

“He’s been in this situation a lot lately, and it will probably take a low one from me tomorrow to have a chance”, Chappell said.

His near misses included three playoff losses in a 12-week span, including a loss to Rickie Fowler in extra holes at The Players Championship. He closed with a 64 only to lose in a four-man playoff at The Greenbrier.

“Never crossed my mind”, Kisner said. It was his best finish since 2013 and by far his best result this season. Hopefully, that’s how it is tomorrow. I wasn’t playing well enough to win.

The 31-year-old from SC started the day with a three shot lead over Kevin Chappell and showed no signs of nerves as he made four birdies on the front nine to take the pressure off. He chose to hammer it out of there and moved it about 5 feet, then chipped 8 feet by the hole.

Chappell bounced back from his bad start with five birdies, feeling that his round could have gotten away from him. “So these two weeks have been so big for me on many levels”. But he bogeyed there, got mad, swung really hard at the next one trying knock it on in two and made another bogey.