Highsmith, First Career Win on the PGA Tour

Cognizant Classic Final Round: Thrilling 7-Under Performance
First PGA Tour Victory in 34 Events Since Last Year's Debut
Spohn and Bridgeman Share Second, Knapp Tied for Sixth

World No. 170 Joe Highsmith (USA) claimed his first career victory.

Jo Haismith is celebrating after making a birdie on the 17th hole of the 4th round at the Cognizant Classic. Palm Beach Gardens=AFP·Yonhap News

On the 2nd (local time), at the PGA National Resort Champions Course (par 71, 7,167 yards) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA, Highsmith shot a 7-under 64 in the final round of the PGA Tour Cognizant Classic (total prize money $9.2 million) to complete a come-from-behind victory with a 19-under 265 total. He reached the top for the first time in 34 tournaments since his debut on the regular tour last year. The winner's prize money is $1.62 million (approximately 2.37 billion KRW).

Highsmith recorded seven birdies without a single bogey. After back-to-back birdies on holes 3 and 4 and a three-birdie streak from holes 9 to 11, he added two more birdies on holes 13 and 17 to finally take the top spot on the leaderboard. His powerful drives of up to 345 yards and pinpoint iron shots with an 88.89% greens in regulation rate were the driving forces behind his victory. His previous best personal result was 5th place at the World Wide Technology Championship last November.

J.J. Spohn and Jacob Bridgeman (both USA) performed well, finishing tied for 2nd place (17-under 267). Jake Knapp (USA), who was the leader the previous day, lost one stroke and dropped to a tie for 6th place (15-under 269). Michael Kim (USA) also failed to improve his score and fell into this group. Minwoo Lee (Australia) finished tied for 11th place (13-under 271). Korean players including Sungjae Im, Byung-hoon An, and Kyung-hoon Lee all missed the cut.