Siwoo Kim "Tied 11th in Title Defense"... Swapord's Comeback Victory

American Express Final Day 5 Under Par, World No.1 Jon Rahm Tied 14th, Im Sungjae Tied 11th

Kim Si-woo is looking at the ball right after putting on the 18th hole of the final day of the American Express. La Quinta, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "That late double bogey is a shame."

Kim Si-woo (27)'s bid for a 'second consecutive win' stopped at a tie for 11th place (16-under 272). On the 24th (Korean time), at the final round of the PGA Tour American Express (total prize money $7.6 million) held at La Quinta PGA West Stadium Course (par 72, 7,113 yards) in California, USA, he shot 5-under to find some consolation. Hudson Swafford (USA) led with an 8-under daily best to claim his third career victory (23-under 265). The winner's prize money is $1,368,000 (16.3 billion KRW).

Starting from a tie for 24th, Kim Si-woo recorded eight birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey. His early surge stood out with consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, and the bogey on hole 3 (par 4) was recovered with a birdie on hole 5 (par 5) with a '2-on 2-putt'. He then made two pairs of consecutive birdies on holes 7-8 and 11-12, and on hole 16 (par 5), his third shot landed right next to the hole. On hole 17 (par 3), his tee shot went into the water beyond the island green, resulting in a double bogey.

Hudson Swafford is posing for a commemorative photo holding the trophy right after winning the American Express. La Quinta, USA = Getty Images/Multivitz

Swafford was the CareerBuilder Challenge champion in January 2017. At that time, Adam Hadwin (Canada), who recorded a 'dream 59' in the third round, finished second by one stroke, drawing even more spotlight. He added the Corales Punta Cana Resort & Club Championship win in September 2020, which was included in the 2021 season. On this day, he collected an eagle on hole 16 (par 5) and nine birdies (three bogeys). His greens in regulation rate was 72.22%, and above all, his remarkably economical putting averaged 1.39 putts per hole.

Tom Hoge finished second (21-under 267), and 'playoff (PO) champion' Patrick Cantlay (both USA) placed ninth (18-under 270). World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) remained tied for 14th (14-under 274). No. 2 Collin Morikawa (USA) struggled on his 'Abu Dhabi expedition' but maintained first place. From Korea, Im Sung-jae joined the tie for 11th, Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) tied for 63rd (6-under 282), and Noh Seung-yul (32) tied for 67th (4-under 284).