Kevin Kisner had defending champion Jordan Spieth and several others breathing down his neck, but he didn’t blink.
Kisner sank a five-foot par putt in the final hole to win the Dean & DeLuca Invitational by one stroke over Spieth, Sean O’Hair and rookie Jon Rahm of Spain at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
“I’m honored to be the champion at Colonial,” said Kisner, whose only other PGA Tour victory came in the 2015 RSM Classic. “It will be great to come back and see my name on that Wall (of Champions) every year. “I’m happy to win anywhere, but especially here. I love this place.
“The conditions were difficult yesterday, but I hit a lot of good shots and was able to make some putts to get up-and-down (to save par) and stay in the tournament.”
Kisner, who has finished second six times on the circuit, closed with a 4-under-par 66 and finished with a total of 10-under 270 at venerable Colonial, home of the tournament since its first edition in 1946.
Spieth, the local favorite from nearby Dallas, applied the pressure with a bogey-free 65, while O’Hair made an 11-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 66, while Rahm also finished with a 66.
It was a remarkable comeback by Spieth, who was 3-over after five holes in the second round and in danger of missing the cut for the fourth time in his last five events before he rallied.
“It was tough getting stuck in the wrong end of the draw the first two days, but the same thing happened last year and we were able to come back and win,” said Spieth, who also tied for second at Colonial two years ago. “It was tough with three missed cuts lately, but we were able to hang in there.
“On this golf course, you can make up ground in a hurry if you keep the ball in the fairway and make some putts. We were a couple of lip-outs away, but hats off to Kis, he played great.”
Webb Simpson, who won the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club, was seeking his first victory since 2013 but had only one birdie in a 71 to finish two strokes back in fourth, while Danny Lee of New Zealand was another shot back in fifth after a 70.
Steve Stricker, the 50-year-old who won at Colonial in 2009, carded a brilliant 63 to wind up four shots down in a tie for seventh with Brian Harman, who had a 65, and Scott Piercy, who totaled 68.
Stewart Cink posted a 72 and was six strokes behind in a tie for 10th with Paul Casey of England, who fell out of contention with a 73.
Masters champion Sergio Garcia of Spain tied for 12th after a 71, two-time Colonial champion Phil Mickelson shot 69 to tie for 29th, and Zach Johnson, another two-time winner of the tournament, closed with a 70 to tie for 63rd.
