Golf roundup: Charles Howell III wins playoff, ends victory drought

Baylor School graduate Luke List shares fourth place

Charles Howell III reacts after winning a playoff against Patrick Rodgers to win the RSM Classic on Sunday at Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island, Ga. Howell secured his first PGA Tour win in 11 years.
Charles Howell III reacts after winning a playoff against Patrick Rodgers to win the RSM Classic on Sunday at Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island, Ga. Howell secured his first PGA Tour win in 11 years.
photo Charles Howell III reacts after winning a playoff against Patrick Rodgers to win the RSM Classic on Sunday at Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island, Ga. Howell secured his first PGA Tour win in 11 years.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - Charles Howell III made a 15-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff with Patrick Rodgers on Sunday at the RSM Classic to end an 11-year victory drought.

Howell dropped to his knees and buried his head in his hands, then tearfully embraced wife Heather and children Ansley and Chase - neither of whom were born when he had previously won on the PGA Tour, at the Nissan Open in February 2007.

Howell earned $1,152,000 and a return trip to his hometown of Augusta in April to play in the Masters for the first time since 2012.

"That was the first thing that popped into my head," Howell said of his thoughts after making the clinching putt. "Obviously, it means a lot to me being from Augusta, but it means a lot to every player, right? Every golfer in the world knows what the Masters is, so I'm nothing special on that.

"But that tournament, that atmosphere, just everything it's tough at home to sit back and watch that on television."

The 39-year-old Howell also won the Michelob Championship in October 2002.

Webb Simpson (65) had a 12-foot birdie opportunity at the final hole of the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort to join the playoff but missed. He lost the RSM Classic via playoff against Ben Crane in 2011.

Baylor School graduate Luke List (65) and Bryan Blaum (66) tied for fourth at 17 under. List earned $281,600 and 123 points in the FedEx Cup standings with a final round that included one bogey, four birdies and an eagle on the par-5 15th. Two of his birdies were on the final two holes.

In three starts so far for the 2018-19 season, List has won $522,880 and 227 points.

Tour rookie Cameron Champ, who took the lead after Howell's early stumbles and was in a four-way tie for first with Howell, Rodgers and Simpson with seven holes to play, closed with a 69 and finished alone in sixth at 16 under.

After Rodgers sent a birdie attempt of 21 feet past the cup on the second extra hole of the playoff, Howell's putt died in the cup and capped a comeback in which he went bogey-double bogey on his first two holes to lose the lead he had held through the first three rounds.

"The way I started today, I just honestly thought I shot myself in the foot again," Howell said. "I thought that was pretty much over. I had seen this movie before."

Howell closed with a 3-under-par 67, making birdies on Nos. 15-17 to match Rodgers at 19-under 263 for 72 holes in the final PGA Tour event of the calendar year. After making the 36-hole cut on the 2-under number, Rodgers shot 61-62 on the weekend.

Howell had a 22-foot birdie attempt on the final hole to win in regulation, but the ball turned away from the cup inches from the edge. Both players had birdie looks on the first playoff hole, with Rodgers missing from 27 feet and Howell from 14 feet off the front fringe.

Rodgers' 17-under 123 weekend was one shot off Troy Matteson's PGA Tour record for consecutive rounds of 122 set the 2009 Frys.com Championship. He finished second for the third time in four years.

"I fought as hard as I could," said Rodgers, who broke Tiger Woods' scoring record at Stanford and tied his victory record. "I didn't really back down. I stayed aggressive, and I made birdies all the way to the finish. It's a testament to how well Charles played."

Baylor School graduate Harris English (67) tied for 46th at 9 under.

Pair of celebrations at LPGA Tour event

NAPLES, Fla. - Lexi Thompson was the best all four days at the final LGPA Tour event of the season, and Ariya Jutanugarn was the best all season.

Neither left any doubt about that Sunday.

Thompson shot a 2-under 70 to finish at 18-under 270 and win the CME Group Tour Championship by four strokes over Nelly Korda. The win makes this the sixth consecutive year Thompson, a 23-year-old American, has won at least once, extending the longest such active streak on the LPGA Tour.

Jutanugarn took the other two big prizes up for grabs, clinching the yearlong Race to the CME Globe prize - and the $1 million bonus that comes with that - as well as the Vare Trophy for winning the season's scoring title. Ranked No. 1 in the world, the 22-year-old from Thailand already had wrapped up player of the year honors, and she finished 2018 with a 69.415 scoring average to edge Minjee Lee (69.747) for the top spot in that battle.

Korda closed with a 71, leaving her a stroke ahead of Brittany Lincicome (67) and So Yeon Ryu (68), who shared fourth.

Jutanugarn shot a 66 on Sunday, finishing the tournament tied for fifth at 12 under with Marina Alex (69), Carlota Ciganda (70) and Lydia Ko (68)

Willett, Molinari win titles

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Danny Willett ended his title drought in thrilling fashion, winning the DP World Tour Championship by two shots despite a last-hole blunder.

It was the 31-year-old Englishman's first victory since the 2016 Masters, secured with a final-round 4-under 68 for a total of 18-under 270.

Francesco Molinari finished tied for 26th and won the European Tour's season-long points championship, the Race to Dubai.

Molinari, who won the British Open and the BMW PGA Championship this year, secured the title when his closest rival for the crown, Tommy Fleetwood, failed to win the tournament.

Willett held a two-shot lead on the 18th tee after making a birdie on the 17th, but he pushed his tee shot slightly into the bank of a creek that divides the 18th fairway, then hit a brave second shot from the rocks before making par.

England's Matt Wallace (68) and U.S. golfer Patrick Reed (70), the reigning Masters champion, were joint runners-up at 16 under.

Starting the day at 14-under, Willett edged ahead of the field with an eagle on the second and never gave up the advantage. Reed, the joint overnight leader, could not find a birdie until the 10th hole and made two bogeys on the front nine to take the pressure off his playing partner.

Bogeys on the 10th and 12th holes opened the door for his rivals, but Willett steadied the nerves and bounced back with three birdies in four holes starting on the 14th.

India's Shubhankar Sharma, a two-time champion this season, won the rookie of the year honor by finishing 28th in the Race to Dubai.

British Open invitation for champ

SYDNEY - Mexico's Abraham Ancer won the Australian Open, closing with a 3-under 69 for a five-stroke victory at The Lakes Golf Club.

Playing for the first time in Australia, Ancer finished at 16-under 272. He earned a spot in the 2019 British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland by finishing among the top three players who weren't already exempt.

Australia's Dimitrios Papadatos was second after a 67, and countryman Jake McLeod was another shot back after a 66. They also earned spots at Royal Portrush.

Upcoming Events