NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — Harry Hall chipped in for birdie from 45 feet on the third hole of a playoff Sunday to win the ISCO Championship for his first PGA Tour title, just days before the birth of his first child.
“Due date’s Friday. She’s scheduled to induce on Tuesday just because I was at a point in the FedEx Cup where I kind of needed to play more,” Hall said about wife Jordan. “She would do anything for me. She's a star and, hopefully, she can do whatever she wants now. I might not play next week. I probably won’t.”
The 26-year-old Englishman closed with a 3-under 69 to get into the playoff with Matt NeSmith, Pierceson Coody, Zac Blair and Rico Hoey — also all seeking their first tour victory. They finished at 22-under 266 on Keene Trace’s Champions Course in the event co-sanctioned by the European tour.
“This is an opposite-field event, but it’s still a quality field, still great players from Europe, still great players from the U.S.,” Hall said. “Just to win any event’s really tough.”
Hall scrambled for par on the par-4 18th on the first extra hole, driving well left into long grass, hitting into the front greenside bunker and blasting out to a foot. He stayed alive when NeSmith's 8-foot birdie try slid by to the right.
“I grew up at West Cornwall Golf Club, which is basically on the beach back in Cornwall, in England," Hall said. “We didn’t really have a driving range, all we had was a chipping green and 18 holes of golf, so I spent my life in the sand. I was really comfortable with that.”
On the next trip down 18 in the playoff, Hall, NeSmith and Coody all missed birdie putts, with NeSmith's attempt the closest at 12 feet.
“I had two great opportunities on 18, that’s all I can ask for,” NeSmith said. “I hit two pretty good putts, just little misreads.”
Hall ended it on the 209-yard, par-3 ninth. Hitting first after all three went long into the rough, the 6-foot-4 former UNLV player got his chip from the right side to fall before NeSmith and Coody missed their attempts from behind the hole.
“Before I chipped that, I was thinking, `Phil Rowe would love for me to win a PGA Tour event by chipping it in,'” said Hall, who jumped to 79th in the FedEx Cup standings. “He was my coach in college. Just walking up to that chip I was thinking about him.”
NeSmith and Blair each shot 64, playing in back-to-back groups about two hours in front of the final pairing. Blair said he was 40 minutes down the road before turning around.
“We were like halfway to Cincinnati,” Blair said. “We were watching the coverage and kind of figured we better turn around.”
Coody, the leader after each of the first three rounds, closed with a 70. He made a 12-foot birdie putt on 18 to get into the playoff.
Hoey took a one-stroke lead into the final hole of regulation, but made a bogey after his wedge approach bounced over the green and into rocks along the bank of a pond. He shot 69.
“It kind of sucks on 18, but I hit a great shot, hit a great tee ball and hit a great second shot,” Hoey said. “Adrenaline’s pumping. I’ve never really been in that situation where it like comes down to it.”
Neal Shipley closed with a 70 to tie for for sixth at 20 under in his third PGA Tour start as a professional. He was the low amateur at the Masters and U.S. Open.
S.Y. Noh (65), Ben Taylor (65) and Sam Bairstow (70) also were 20 under.
Luke Clanton tied for 37th at 13 under after a 71. A week ago, the Florida State sophomore tied for second in the John Deere Classic to become the first amateur since 1958 to finish in the top 10 in consecutive PGA Tour-sanctioned starts.