Kisner on verge of first PGA Tour victory with three-shot lead

Although he failed to make it back-to-back wins on the PGA Tour, Graeme McDowell finished third behind Kevin Kisner in the RSM Classic, formerly known as The McGladrey, and moved back into the world’s top-55 in the latest rankings.

Kevin Kisner holds the RSM Classic trophy after his winning the final round at the RSM Classic golf tournament Sunday, November 22, 2015, in St. Simons Island, Ga.

After The Players loss to Fowler, Kisner took solace in the notion that “one day I’m going to fall into one of these things”, but there was no such anti-climactic ending on Sunday. “Didn’t realize just how steady he was”. “I want it to be 10 if I can get it to 10”.

Kisner was at 16-under 196, a record 54-hole score at Sea Island. “He just played a few phenomenal golf, so it was going to be hard to catch him today”.

“I knew one day it was going to happen for me and it did on the front nine when I holed all those putts and I was able to kind of coast in on the back nine”, he said. “That sense of belonging and having a chance to win changes your outlook on yourself and your game on the PGA Tour”. He answered with a key shot that set up birdie, a 6-iron into a foot at the par-3 17th and a 30-foot birdie on the 18th to build a few separation.

Kerr is 38, and says she doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. Better yet was seeing year-old daughter Kate running toward him. I was thinking if I could get a couple under (par) early on that I might have a few sort of a short. “I did it on the front nine”.

Kevin Chappell, tied for the lead when he made birdie on the par-5 15th, closed with three pars for a 68. The exception might have been Greenbrier, where Kisner hit his tee shot on the par-3 18th over the green in a playoff.

Chappell was at 11-under 131, one shot clear of Freddie Jacobson, who had a 5-under 67 on the Plantation Course, and Kevin Kisner, who had a 67 at Seaside.

Kisner earned $1,026,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to take over first from Russell Knox of Jacksonville Beach by 12 points. My playing partner, Michael Kim, was looking at me amusing and I’m like, “what’s he looking at?’ and then he says to me ‘what are you doing?’ “And I’m like ‘oh my goodness, you absolute idiot”. The next official tournament on the 2015-16 schedule is the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii, from January 7-10.