HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — C.T. Pan took advantage of Dustin Johnson’s back-nine meltdown to win the RBC Heritage for his first PGA Tour victory.
The 27-year-old Pan, from Taiwan, closed with a 4-under 67 on Sunday at Harbour Town Golf Links for a one-stroke victory over Matt Kuchar. Pan finished at 12-under 272.
The top-ranked Johnson, the third-round leader in his home-state event, shot a 77 and tied for 28th at 4 under. He played a five-hole stretch in 7 over, making bogeys on Nos. 11-13 and double bogeys on Nos. 14-15.
Pan took the lead for good with a 9-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th.
Kuchar closed with a 67.
Patrick Cantlay, Scott Piercy and Shane Lowry tied for third at 10 under. Cantlay and Piercy shot 69, and Lowry had a 70.
Pan headed to the practice range after the round to keep ready in case of a playoff, then raised his arms in triumph when told he’d won. He earned $1,242,000, a PGA Tour exemption through 2020-21 and spots in next month’s PGA Championship and next year’s Masters. He’s the RBC Heritage’s fourth straight first-time winner.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Scott McCarron completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic for his third victory at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia.
The winner of the PGA Tour’s defunct BellSouth Classic at the course in 1997 and 2001, McCarron closed with a 1-under 72 for a two-stroke victory over Jerry Kelly, Joe Durant, Kirk Triplett and Kent Jones. McCarron finished at 7-under 209 for his ninth victory on the 50-and-over tour. He won three times on the PGA Tour.
Kelly birdied the final two holes for a 67. Durant, Triplett and Jones shot 69.
LPGA TOUR: Brooke Henderson successfully defended her Lotte Championship title in Kapolei, Hawaii, to tie Sandra Post’s record for LPGA Tour victories by a Canadian with eight.
The 21-year-old Henderson closed with a 2-under 70 for a four-stroke victory over Eun-Hee Ji. Henderson finished at 16-under 272.
Ji shot a 73. Ariya Jutanugarn (73) and Minjee Lee (74) tied for third at 11 under.
Nelly Korda, tied with Henderson for the third-round lead, finished with a quadruple-bogey 8 for a 77 that left her seven strokes back.
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