Texas Open: Chappell Finally Initiated into PGA Tour Winners Club
After a career of close calls, California native Kevin Chappell finally picked up his first PGA Tour title at the Valero Texas Open.
Standing on the 17th tee at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course on Sunday afternoon, Kevin Chappell had to have felt like a fraternity pledge on the last night of Hell Week. Two groups ahead, Brooks Koepka had just birdied 18 for a Sunday 65, bringing him into a tie with Chappell for the Valero Texas Open lead at 11-under.
The ridiculously long Koepka conducted an absolute ball striking clinic en route to his 65. His seven-under score could have been even better, as it was somewhat tarnished by two short missed birdie putts on the back nine.
Playing in his 180th PGA Tour start, Chappell had been in contention many times before, but he had yet to seal the deal.
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As Chappell’s tortured wait on the 17th tee continued, Koepka and his clubhouse mark of 11-under wasn’t his only issue. Another bomber, Tony Finau, was on the par 5 18th tee sitting at 10-under and seemed almost certain to birdie 18 himself, which would create a three-way tie. At the time, Chappell was three-under on the day and had to be wondering what in the world was it going to take to ever get initiated into the PGA Tour’s Fraternity of Champions.
The answer to that question turned out to be very simple, but the difficult Oaks Course has a way of making complicated situations out of normally routine shots.
On the tricky 17th, Chappell drove his ball onto the front-right fringe of the green, leaving a difficult and dangerous up and down for birdie. Up ahead on 18, Finau simplified matters by driving his ball wayward into a cactus plant, effectively eliminating any chance he had of joining the tie at 11-under. Thus, the Texas Open was brought to a showdown between Chappell and Koepka.
Chappell elected to go with a “Texas Wedge” from the fringe for his second shot on 17, probably only needing to hit it a yard or so harder to pull off a perfect shot. As it was, he was left with a 20-footer for birdie that he couldn’t get to fall, settling for a par to stay tied for the lead with 18 still ahead.
From there, Chappell did what he had to do. He created a deja vu moment from 2016 when Charlie Hoffman holed a 10-footer on the 72nd hole to win at TPC San Antonio. Chappell executed a perfect drive and lay up to 88 yards before hitting his wedge to almost the exact spot of Hoffman’s winning putt.
Koepka was warming up on the range for the potential playoff when the roar of the crowd signaled the end of his chances. Great as his 65 was, he needed a 64. Chappell made the putt dead center. From his reaction, you can tell that his initiation into the PGA Tour Fraternity of Champions was 180 starts in the making. Hell Week always ends eventually. Sometimes.
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