Streb wins RSM Classic with playoff stunner
ST SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 22: Robert Streb of the United States celebrates with the trophy after winning in a sudden-death playoff against Kevin Kisner (not pictured) during the final round of The RSM Classic at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club on November 22, 2020 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Shane Lowry mixed eight birdies with three bogeys and a double bogey in a 67 to finish tied 50th on six-under in the RSM Classic at Sea Island as Graeme McDowell’s 72 left him 59th on two-under.
Kevin Kisner shot 63 to force a playoff with overnight leader Robert Streb, who shot 68, on 19-under but lost at the second extra hole when Streb hit a 159 yard approach stone dead for a tap in birdie.
Streb birdied the par-three 17th to match Kisner on 19-under but after missing an 18 footer at the last for outright victory, he had to get up and down for par on their return to the 18th for the playoff after driving into a fairway bunker.
He made no mistake the second time around, however, almost holing his pitch wedge for eagle as Kisner missed the green but couldn’t chip in and holed a 23 footer for par before Streb tapped in from 14 inches for his second win since the captured the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island in 2014.
“First off, I was happy I was not in that bunker again. It looked like it was going to jump a little bit, tried to hit the pitching wedge, banking on it and obviously came out perfect, landed soft,” said Streb, who earned starts in the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Players Championship and the Masters Tournament next year. It was going to need a little fortune to get close and I got it.
“It's nice to get another one knocked off. Obviously Kiz played a great round today and I just snuck one in there on 17. Felt pretty fortunate to get in the playoff the way things were kind of running there at the end, so really nice to get another one.”
It was Streb’s second win at Sea Island since 2014 and he was at a loss to explain his performances at the Georgia venue.
“I don't have a good answer for you. My finishes here are all over the lot, but I do like it here. The greens are always pure and I feel like if you're playing good, you can do well.”
2020 The RSM Classic
(11th of 50 events in the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season)
St. Simons Island, GA Seaside Course (Host) Plantation Course
November 19-22, 2020 Purse: $6,600,000 ($1,188,000)
Par/Yards: 35-35—70/7,005 FedExCup Points: 500 (winner) Par/Yards: 36-36—72/7,060
Final-Round Notes – Sunday, November 22, 2020
Weather: Partly cloudy, with a high of 73. Wind NE 10-15 mph.
Final Leaderboard
Robert Streb (SS-PL) 65-63-67-68—263 (-19)*
Kevin Kisner (PL-SS) 68-66-66-63—263 (-19)
Cameron Tringale (PL-SS) 67-68-67-62—264 (-18)
Bernd Wiesberger (SS-PL) 66-68-68-63—265 (-17)
Andrew Landry (PL-SS) 68-68-65-64—265 (-17)
Things to Know
2014 The RSM Classic winner Robert Streb defeats 2015 tournament winner Kevin Kisner with a birdie on the second hole of sudden death, No. 18
Kevin Kisner claims a fourth top-5 finish in The RSM Classic, more than any player
2020 marks the sixth playoff in The RSM Classic history and third in as many seasonsCameron Tringale posts career-low 8-under 62 to claim a sixth top-3 finish on the PGA TOUR
Sea Island resident Harris English birdies six of his first eight holes en route to a third top-10 finish in his fifth start of the seasonCamilo Villegas claims his first top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR since the 2017 Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners wins the 11-week-long RSM Birdies Fore Love competition, good for $300,000 for the children- or family-based charitable organizations of choice; this week’s winner, Doug Ghim, collects $50,000 for similar charities of his choice
With the Victory
Robert Streb
36- and 54-hole leader closed with a 2-under 68 to force sudden death with 2015 tournament winner, Kevin Kisner; won on the second extra hole, No. 18, with a tap in birdie
Win comes in his 214th career PGA TOUR start at the age of 33 years, 7 months, 15 days
With the win, collects 500 FedExCup points and moves to No. 8 in the standings
With the win, gains entry into a number of 2020-21 PGA TOUR events, including the Sentry Tournament of Champions, PLAYERS Championship and Masters Tournament
Wins in his 165th PGA TOUR start since his 2014 The RSM Classic victory
Both The RSM Classic victories have come via sudden death; defeated Will MacKenzie and Brendon de Jonge in 2014
Becomes the first player to capture his first two TOUR victories at the same event since Daniel Berger (2016-17 FedEx St. Jude Classic)
Becomes the first two-time winner of The RSM Classic
Becomes the fifth consecutive 36-hole leader/co-leader to win The RSM Classic: Robert Streb (2020), Tyler Duncan (2019), Charles Howell III (2018), Austin Cook (2017), Mackenzie Hughes (2016)
Lone bogeys of the week came at his 11th hole in round one (Seaside) and No. 13 in round four (Seaside)
Wins in seventh start in The RSM Classic; in five starts between victories, never finished higher than T25 (2015)
Finished the 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season at No. 145 in the FedExCup
In 40 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, won twice (most recently the 2018 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship over Peter Malnati in sudden death)
Miscellaneous Notes
2015 The RSM Classic winner Kevin Kisner (-19/P2) closed with a 7-under 63 to collect his fourth top-5 finish in his 10th start at The RSM Classic, more than any player (1st/2015, P2/2020, T4/2017, T4/2014); was in search of his fourth career TOUR title and first since the 2019 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play
Cameron Tringale (-18/3rd) posted a career-low 8-under 62 in his 10th start in The RSM Classic, besting his previous-best finish of T20 (2019); Since 2009, of players seeking their first TOUR title, Cameron Trinagle has the second-most starts of any player without a win (288); Ricky Barnes has 289
Sponsor exemption Bernd Wiesberger birdied five of his first nine holes en route to a 7-under 63 and T4 finish at 17- under 265; marks his best PGA TOUR finish in his 56th start; Austria native has amassed 10 international victories, including three on the European Tour in 2019
Camilo Villegas (-16/T6), who lost in a playoff to Mackenzie Hughes at The RSM Classic in 2016, posted four rounds of par-or-better in a PGA TOUR event for the first time since the 2017 CIMB Classic
Saint Simons Island resident Zach Johnson (-16/T6) took a triple-bogey-eight at No. 7, resulting in a 2-under 68; was seeking a 13th career TOUR title and first since the 2015 The Open Championship
