Luke List didn't have a high enough ranking in the FedEx Cup standings to warrant an invitation to the Charles Schwab Challenge on the PGA Tour, so the former Baylor School and Vanderbilt University golfer gave the Korn Ferry Tour a try and made the most of it.
List entered the Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and won it with a 12-under-par 268, closing with a 3-under 67 on Sunday to finish one stroke ahead of Joseph Bramlett (68) and Shad Tuten (67). The 35-year-old former Ringgold resident who now lives with wife Chloe and daughter Ryann in Augusta, Georgia, pocketed $108,000 for his first professional win since the 2012 South Georgia Classic on what was known then as the Nationwide Tour.
"It's been a while since I've won, and it's been a couple months since we've played competitive golf, so it feels great," List told PGATour.com. "To get back playing competitively, and then to win the first week - I'm really excited."
List birdied three of his first four holes Sunday and parred his final six to break a winless streak that had reached 208 starts, including 146 on the PGA Tour. He was the runner-up at the 2018 Honda Classic after losing a playoff to Justin Thomas, and he finished third in the RBC Heritage that year and sixth at last year's PGA Championship won by Brooks Koepka.
He will return to the PGA Tour this week for the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
The Korn Ferry Challenge marked List's first Korn Ferry tournament since 2015. He has played 13 PGA Tour events this season and shot a 2-under 70 at the opening round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, which was then halted due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"The last time I was here was for The Players, and I was playing pretty well," List said. "I tried to just carry that into the restart. Obviously, I would have loved to have been at Colonial (Country Club for the Charles Schwab Challenge), but I'm glad I was here. It was really a perfect storm to be here, and I'm just excited for the rest of the year."
Former Baylor and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standout Stephan Jaeger closed with a 72 and tied for 33rd at 2-under 278.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.