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Hilton Head Island, S.C. • Branden Grace has had his share of big moments. He believes winning the RBC Heritage is his biggest, by far.
The 27-year-old South African had won 10 times overseas, finished in the top five last year in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and went 5-0 for the International team at the Presidents Cup. On Sunday, he shot a 5-under 66 to overtake Luke Donald for his first title on the PGA Tour.
"This really puts the cherry on top of the cake," Grace said. "And I'm excited for things to start."
Grace has already fashioned a very accomplished career. He's 14th in the world ranking and three of his seven career wins on the European Tour have come since 2015.
"I can tick this one off the box and head into the next couple of majors trying to win it," he said. "I have one notch, I've done it before and I can do it again."
Grace trailed leader Luke Donald by three shots when the round began, but wiped out that deficit by the turn with five birdies. Grace took the lead for good with consecutive birdies on 12 and 13.
He overcame a final challenge on the 16th hole, rolling in a 12-foot par putt to maintain a three-shot lead. A hole behind, Donald lipped out a birdie try. He could get no closer.
Grace finished at 9-under 275, two shots ahead of Donald and Russell Knox. Donald shot a 71, and Knox had a 67.
Grace earned $1,062,000 and a PGA Tour exemption through the 2017-18 season, which he said was a weight off his mind and will allow him to comfortably contend without worrying about keeping his tour card.
Grace also became the latest to rally past hard-luck leader Donald at Harbour Town Golf Links. The Englishman has finished second four times and third twice in the past eight events here.
Brandt Snedeker shot a final-round 64 to catch Donald and win in a playoff in 2011. Matt Kuchar shot a 64 in 2014, overtaking Donald for the win with a chip-in from the bunker on the 72nd hole.
Donald said Saturday after taking a one-shot lead he'd need to be aggressive and make birdies. That did not happen. He settled for pars on the opening six holes, while Grace moved in front with four birdies on the same stretch.
Donald got to 8 under with a birdie on the seventh hole, then quickly gave it back on No. 8 when he drove in the water and took bogey.
He caught Grace one final time with a ninth-hole birdie, but could not keep up with the South African.
"I think I've got to put myself three or four behind on Sunday," Donald said. "Leading doesn't seem to be working out for me."
Although Donald earned $519,200 and moved past five-time RBC Heritage champion Davis Love III for second in tournament winnings here with $3,063,520.
Bryson DeChambeau, the former SMU star who won the NCAA and U.S. Amateur last year, tied for fourth in his first event since turning pro, four shots behind Grace after a 68. Kevin Na was tied with DeChambeau after a 69.
Top-ranked Jason Day rebounded from a season-worst 79 on Saturday with a 68 to tie for 23rd at 1 under. He now gets a week off before returning to play at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, starting on April 28. He said he'll use the time to refresh his mind and improve his fitness, which he said got a bit loose during this last run of tournament golf.
Not that it hurt him on the course. In the past month, Day won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the World Golf Championship's Dell Match Play event. He tied for 10th at the Masters and shared the 36-hole lead at Harbour Town until his third-round blow up.
His finish was his third round in the 70s this week. "A lot of positive stuff" at the tournament, Day said. "I've just got to get back, just rest my mind, rest my body and try and get back in the swing of things."
Austin wins Champions event
Woody Austin tied the tournament record with an 8-under 64 and beat Wes Short Jr. with a par on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff in the PGA Tour Champions' Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Duluth, Ga.
Austin, 52, has two victories in the last three events on the 50-and-over tour, also winning in Tucson, Ariz., last month. He won the 2013 Sanderson Farms Championship at age 49 for the last of his four PGA Tour titles.
Short bogeyed the second playoff after pulling his tee shot left into tall grass for the second time.
Short finished with a 68. He could have avoided the playoff at TPC Sugarloaf, but missed a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 18, leaving him tied with Austin at 11 under.
Paul Goydos had a 67 to finish third at 10 under. Joey Sindelar (67), Tom Lehman (67), Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Colin Montgomerie (69) were another stroke back. —
RBC Heritage
At Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Purse • $5.9 million Yardage • 7,099 Par • 71
Final
Branden Grace (500), $1,062,000 66-74-69-66 — 275 -9
Luke Donald (245), $519,200 66-71-69-71 — 277 -7
Russell Knox (245), $519,200 72-65-73-67 — 277 -7
Bryson DeChambeau, $259,600 70-69-72-68 — 279 -5
Kevin Na (123), $259,600 73-71-66-69 — 279 -5
Whee Kim (92), $197,650 71-72-68-69 — 280 -4
Jason Kokrak (92), $197,650 71-68-68-73 — 280 -4
Bryce Molder (92), $197,650 70-70-73-67 — 280 -4
Aaron Baddeley (70), $147,500 71-69-73-68 — 281 -3
Ricky Barnes (70), $147,500 71-68-74-68 — 281 -3
Kevin Chappell (70), $147,500 68-68-75-70 — 281 -3
Matt Kuchar (70), $147,500 67-71-72-71 — 281 -3
William McGirt (70), $147,500 69-71-72-69 — 281 -3
Ernie Els (53), $88,631 72-71-73-66 — 282 -2
Tyler Aldridge (53), $88,631 71-73-67-71 — 282 -2
Graham DeLaet (53), $88,631 69-70-72-71 — 282 -2
Bill Haas (53), $88,631 69-72-69-72 — 282 -2
Charley Hoffman (53), $88,631 68-68-71-75 — 282 -2
Si Woo Kim (53), $88,631 68-72-71-71 — 282 -2
Patton Kizzire (53), $88,631 69-68-71-74 — 282 -2
Colt Knost (53), $88,631 73-70-70-69 — 282 -2
David Toms (53), $88,631 69-73-71-69 — 282 -2
John Senden (45), $49,729 71-73-74-65 — 283 -1
Chad Campbell (45), $49,729 71-69-73-70 — 283 -1
Jason Day (45), $49,729 67-69-79-68 — 283 -1
Russell Henley (45), $49,729 72-67-71-73 — 283 -1
Morgan Hoffmann (45), $49,729 70-69-74-70 — 283 -1
Charles Howell III (45), $49,729 69-75-70-69 — 283 -1
Chris Kirk (45), $49,729 72-66-71-74 — 283 -1
Adam Hadwin (41), $39,235 71-73-73-67 — 284 E
Marc Leishman (41), $39,235 71-72-68-73 — 284 E
Shawn Stefani (39), $36,580 71-71-69-74 — 285 +1
David Lingmerth (36), $31,172 67-71-76-72 — 286 +2
Chez Reavie (36), $31,172 70-74-71-71 — 286 +2
Kyle Stanley (36), $31,172 72-70-71-73 — 286 +2
Will Wilcox (36), $31,172 72-70-72-72 — 286 +2
Lucas Glover (36), $31,172 72-67-72-75 — 286 +2
Zach Johnson (36), $31,172 71-68-70-77 — 286 +2
Bronson Burgoon (30), $23,600 70-69-74-74 — 287 +3
Tony Finau (30), $23,600 67-73-73-74 — 287 +3
Luke List (30), $23,600 73-68-78-68 — 287 +3
George McNeill (30), $23,600 68-70-73-76 — 287 +3
Johnson Wagner (30), $23,600 68-73-74-72 — 287 +3
Boo Weekley (30), $23,600 70-71-76-70 — 287 +3
Ben Crane (24), $16,874 74-68-71-75 — 288 +4
Fabian Gomez (24), $16,874 68-76-73-71 — 288 +4
Jerry Kelly (24), $16,874 70-69-77-72 — 288 +4
Spencer Levin (24), $16,874 68-74-71-75 — 288 +4
Ben Martin (24), $16,874 70-74-74-70 — 288 +4
Francesco Molinari (24), $16,874 69-74-73-72 — 288 +4
Daniel Summerhays (19), $14,199 72-68-80-69 — 289 +5
Jim Herman (19), $14,199 72-71-73-73 — 289 +5
Seung-Yul Noh (19), $14,199 72-69-75-73 — 289 +5
Jason Dufner (15), $13,452 76-67-73-74 — 290 +6
Billy Horschel (15), $13,452 74-66-74-76 — 290 +6
Geoff Ogilvy (15), $13,452 72-69-74-75 — 290 +6
Ian Poulter (15), $13,452 72-72-76-70 — 290 +6
Mark Wilson (15), $13,452 72-72-73-73 — 290 +6
Zac Blair (10), $12,862 69-71-75-76 — 291 +7
Justin Leonard (10), $12,862 73-71-72-75 — 291 +7
Davis Love III (10), $12,862 73-69-77-72 — 291 +7
Will MacKenzie (10), $12,862 73-71-71-76 — 291 +7
Tyrone Van Aswegen (10), $12,862 72-70-73-76 — 291 +7
Scott Brown (7), $12,449 71-73-76-72 — 292 +8
Vaughn Taylor (7), $12,449 70-74-75-73 — 292 +8
Webb Simpson (5), $12,213 73-70-75-75 — 293 +9
Vijay Singh (5), $12,213 71-71-75-76 — 293 +9
Harold Varner III (3), $12,036 72-70-78-74 — 294 +10
Jason Bohn (2), $11,859 74-69-75-77 — 295 +11
Kevin Kisner (2), $11,859 72-71-75-77 — 295 +11
Derek Fathauer (1), $11,505 71-73-76-76 — 296 +12
Ryan Palmer (1), $11,505 71-73-76-76 — 296 +12
Camilo Villegas (1), $11,505 71-72-77-76 — 296 +12
Steve Wheatcroft (1), $11,505 72-68-75-81 — 296 +12
Justin Thomas (1), $11,210 72-70-77-82 — 301 +17
Made cut, did not finish
Andres Gonzales (1), $10,915 71-72-78 — 221 +8
Michael Kim (1), $10,915 75-69-77 — 221 +8
Greg Owen (1), $10,915 72-71-78 — 221 +8
Nick Taylor (1), $10,915 73-71-77 — 221 +8
Chris Stroud (1), $10,620 71-73-79 — 223 +10
Carl Pettersson (1), $10,502 71-69-84 — 224 +11
Hiroshi Iwata (1), $10,384 71-73-83 — 227 +14