Kisner’s birdies secure victory

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas

Kevin Kisner came so close several times before finally winning on the PGA Tour. He now has another victory, withstanding a charge by Jordan Spieth at Colonial, after two more runner-up finishes this year.

“You start questioning if you’re going to win again after a while,” Kisner said. “Everybody was questioning if I was ever going to win. Then I win, and then everybody questions if I was ever going to win again.”

The affirmative answer came Sunday when Kisner birdied the first three holes on the back nine at Hogan’s Alley to go ahead, then finished his 4-under 66 with a clutch par save at the 18th after a wayward tee shot and an approach off the back side of the green and well below the hole.

At 10-under 270, the 33-year-old Kisner finished a stroke ahead of Spieth (65), Sean O’Hair (66) and Jon Rahm (66). He earned a check of just more than $1.2 million, along with the winner’s plaid jacket.

Kisner was a runner-up four times, including three playoffs during the 2015 season, before winning the RSM Classic in November 2015. Then came two more runner-ups this year.

Spieth was standing on a chair to see over the crowd at the 18th green after his bogey-free round when Kisner putted up the mound to 5 feet of the cup and then made the winning putt.

“I was going to take my chances with a [par] 4 and see what happened,” said Kisner, who never considered a different club for his last two shots.