PGA Tour: Russell Henley birdie charge denies Eric Cole for Charles Schwab Classic victory after playoff finish | Golf News

Russell Henley birdied the final three holes to force a playoff with Eric Cole, then made it four it a row with a five-footer on the first extra hole to win the Charles Schwab Classic.

Henley’s late surge denied fellow 37-year-old Cole his first PGA Tour win on a day when Ben Griffin came up just short of becoming the only player other than Ben Hogan to win consecutive tournaments at Colonial.

Henley earned $1.78 million (£1.32m) for his sixth PGA Tour title and also got the plaid jacket and a customised 1982 Jeep Scrambler vehicle.

Playing in the group ahead of Cole, Henley closed with a three-under 67.

After making 15-foot putts at the 171-yard 16th hole and the par-four 17th, Henley got to 12 under with a 17-footer on the par-four 18th.

Cole shot an even-par 70. He parred the final seven holes – eight including the playoff.

Henley and Cole finished a stroke ahead of Griffin (65), Alex Smalley (68) and Mac Meissner (69).

The drives for Henley and Cole on the extra hole, playing the 18th again, stopped in the fairway – Cole getting a huge break after his ball somehow bounced through the left rough before settling on the edge of the short grass. Henley hit his approach shot first, and Cole hit his to 13 feet and missed the birdie attempt.

Henley sunk his five-footer for the title.

“I just kept telling myself, I want to win. I want to make… I want to be here. I want to be hitting these putts and be in contention,” he said.

“This is why I practice hard and, yeah, then to come back to the playoff and do that, I’m still just kind of shaking. That was as nervous as I’ve been over a putt in my whole life.”

Cole, in his 120th PGA Tour start, never fell out of the lead in regulation during the final round, even when finishing the front nine with his first double bogey (or worse) in a span of 316 holes. He drove well right into the right rough at the 398-yard ninth hole, hit his approach into the water fronting the green and had a long bogey chance stop an inch from the cup.

His only birdie on the back was at the 628-yard 11th hole, but he had some significant par savers down the stretch.

“I was proud with the way I played,” said Cole.

“I think I played solid for the most part, I drove the ball pretty well. I just needed to get a shave a shot somewhere. But, yeah, no, I was proud of the way I played and it’s disappointing but I still feel good and happy with the way I played.”

‘I just kind of calmed down a little bit’ – Henley on how he achieved storming finish

Henley started the day with an eagle at the 577-yard first hole and a birdie at the 390-yard second, but quickly gave all three of those shots back with bogeys at three, four and five – the aptly-named Horrible Horseshoe at Colonial. He had another bogey at the ninth, making the turn at eight under on the leaderboard.

“I was feeling a little jittery or quick or something on the front and hit some, well I was hitting the fairway, I was just some poor iron swings,” he said.

“So just very frustrating to turn at one-over par. [His caddie] said, ‘Let’s reset’ and I just kind of calmed down a little bit and started to hit some good shots, and felt like I was hitting good putts most of the day and they just went in at the end.”

Defending champion Griffin, who started the day six strokes back after three consecutive rounds of 68, had five birdies on the front nine. But he did not have another until a 25-foot putt at the 17th hole to get to 11 under to tie for third.

Gary Woodland was tied sixth with Michael Brennan, Nico Echavarria and JJ Spaun after a final-round 67. England’s Jordan Smith finished tied 13th on eight under after a Sunday 68.

Next up is one of the biggest events of the PGA Tour season – the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village. Watch live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday to Sunday. Get Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract