Kevin Yu won his first PGA Tour event. Yu birdied the 18th hole on Sunday to tie for the lead. The lead group provided an entertaining and disastrous final hole that led to a playoff. Yu birdied the first playoff hole – 18 again – to win his first PGA tournament.
Yu Wins Playoff To Claim First PGA Tour Victory
Kevin Yu claimed his first PGA Tour victory at this week’s PGA Tour stop in Jackson, Mississippi. Yu shot four rounds in the 60s (66, 66, 66, 67) to finish at -23. Beau Hossler made an incredible par save on the 72nd hole to tie Yu at -23 while Kevin Mitchell missed a birdie putt to win the tournament. Then he missed a four-footer to miss the playoff.
Yu split the fairway with his tee shot on the first playoff hole while Hossler pulled his tee shot into the left rough. Yu hit a fantastic approach shot to six feet. Hossler hit his approach shot into a front bunker, then made an incredible shot to tap-in range. That put the pressure on Yu to sink his six-foot birdie putt for the win. The 26-year-old from Taiwan drained the winning putt and celebrated as his parents watched him claim his first PGA Tour victory.
Third Straight Playoff at Sanderson Farms Championship
This was the third consecutive year the Sanderson Farms Championship was decided in a playoff. Yu made a long birdie putt on the final hole to finish at -23. That knocked Lucas Glover (-22) out of a potential playoff. Hossler drained a long birdie putt himself on the 17th hole to tie the lead. That left the final group, Mitchell and Hossler, to decide the outcome on the final hole. The finishing hole produced an unexpected result.
Mitchell 3-Putts to Miss Playoff
While Mitchell hit the fairway, Hossler pulled his tee shot left. It ended up behind a tree giving him no chance to reach the green in regulation. Play was delayed for several minutes as Hossler pleaded with two officials for relief. After his request for a drop was denied – twice – he chipped back into the fairway leaving himself 130 yards to the flag. The 29-year-old, who played his college golf at the University of Texas, stuffed his approach to four feet and then made the putt to secure his spot in the playoff.
Meanwhile, Mitchell hit the green in regulation leaving a 35-foot birdie putt to win the tournament outright. His aggressive effort skimmed the left edge and rolled four feet past the hole. Incredibly, he missed the short putt to drop to -22 and miss out on the playoff. After the tournament, Mitchell explained that when he missed the putt, he dropped his head and didn’t see the break the ball took after it rolled past the hole. He misread the break and missed the putt on the left side. This set up the playoff Yu won.
Yu Claims $1,380,000 PGA Tour Payout
Yu, who played his college golf at Arizona State, collected the first place prize money of $1,368,000. More importantly, his victory earns him invitations to two of next year’s major championships: The Masters and PGA Championship. He’ll also begin the 2025 season playing another big money event, The Sentry in Hawaii. The annual event for players who won a PGA tour event the previous year.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was 5,” Yu said. “This is the dream for all golfers, to win on the PGA Tour. I did it today. I’m thankful for my parents. Without them, I couldn’t have done that.”
In his 200th PGA Tour event, Hossler claimed $828,400 for his runner-up effort. He’s still looking for his first victory. “Even though I didn’t have my best stuff on the back nine I grinded really hard,” Hossler said “Hit some really quality shots under the gun, and that’s all you can do. Obviously, Kevin played a beautiful hole in the playoff.” Mitchell settled for a third place tie with Lucas Glover. Both players earned $448,400. Next week’s PGA Tour stop is the Black Desert Championship in Ivins, Utah, where a $7,500,000 purse is up for grabs.
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