Sam Burns, who started the day seven strokes behind, had to wait more than two hours for a playoff—but then he wasted no time.
The 10th-ranked Burns sank a 38-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the first extra hole to turn back top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and win the 75th Charles Schwab Challenge in extremely windy conditions at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Scheffler said to his close friend: “Good putt.”
“Gosh, it’s so hard to believe because the conditions were so tough and I’m just proud of the way I hung in there and played a great round of golf,” said Burns, who closed with a 5-under-par 65 that was low score of the day and equaled Scheffler with three PGA Tour victories this season.
“I hit a foul ball on No. 12, but was able to finish strong. I remember being here when I was 13 years old and saw David Toms win this tournament, and I’m thrilled to add my name to that list of champions. I’m just thrilled and making that putt was the icing on the cake.
“We’re probably best friends. But at the same time I can assure you, he wanted to beat me more than anybody else and I wanted to beat him more than anybody else, and it just happened to be the two of us at the end.
“It’s going to be a fun story that we’ll get to have for the rest of our careers.”
The 25-year-old Burns, who claimed the fourth victory of his PGA Tour career including the Valspar Championship for the second time earlier this year, collected six birdies on the front nine to climb into contention, added one more at No. 12 against two bogeys and posted a 72-hole score of 9-under 271.
Scheffler, the reigning Masters champion, led almost from the start of the tournament on Thursday and was in a five-way tie for the lead at one point in the final round, but did not make a birdie while closing with a 72 that included bogeys at Nos. 6 and 12 plus 16 pars.
After Burns made his putt on the extra hole, Scheffler missed a 30-footer that could have extended the playoff.
“The wind was very high, it was very tough out there,” said Scheffler, who has finished in the top 10 in eight events this season, but was coming off a missed cut in the PGA Championship. “It was tough to get looks, and then on the greens, it started moving around late in the day.
“With the gusts as high as they were, it was really difficult to putt them. But I gave myself a lot of looks. I just didn’t have it today. Props to Sam, he played great. I don’t know what he shot today, maybe 4-, 5-under? Whatever it was, it was a great round.
“It was a lot of fun, but it would have been more fun if we had to do it for 18 holes. I kind of joked with him at the end, he ruined all the fun by making a 40-footer. It was definitely good to see him win. He’s obviously a great player and has a bright future ahead.”
Schauffler roomed with Burns while winning the Masters in April.
Brendon Todd, who was in that tie for the lead, made birdies on the first two holes but none the rest of the way in a 71 and was one-stroke back in solo third, while Tony Finau had two late birdies for a 67 and finished two shots back in a tie for fourth with rookie Davis Riley, who briefly held the lead during his 69, and Scott Stallings, who also had a share of the lead before he wound up at 72.
Ninth-ranked Jordan Spieth, who won this tournament in 2016, had bogeys on the last two holes for a second straight 70 and was four down in a tie for seventh with Kevin Na of Diamond Bar, who sank a 16-foot eagle putt on the first hole to kick-start a 69, Mito Pereira of Chile, who totaled 71, and Cam Davis of Australia and Patrick Reed, who both came in at 72.
Seventh-seeded Viktor Hovland of Norway tied for 21st after a 71, fourth-ranked Collin Morikawa of La Canada Flintridge and Cal also shot 71 and tied for 40th, and defending champion Jason Kokrak was 62nd after closing with a 72.
Harold Varner III, who also was in the five-way tie for the lead after making three birdies in the first five holes, stumbled to two triple-bogeys, two double-bogeys and a bogey on the back nine en route to an ugly 78 and tied for 27th.
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