Kevin Dougherty did not plan to spend Sunday night in Savannah, but considering the circumstances, he didn’t mind at all.
Dougherty had a little better week in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Savannah Golf Championship than he anticipated. He was in the final pairing of the day Sunday afternoon at The Landings Club’s Deer Creek Course, one shot behind tournament leader Evan Harmeling.
The former Oklahoma State golfer, now in his sixth season as a professional, is getting married next weekend. Dougherty was scheduled to catch a flight home to California at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Instead, he had to change his travel plans to catch a 9:30 a.m. Monday flight, a second-place finish in hand. Not a bad way to start a marriage.
Dougherty almost had the victory, but he bogeyed No. 17 and then watched as Harmeling birdied 18 to force an extra hole.
Evan Harmeling forces the playoff!
Him and @Kev_Dougherty head to extra holes to see who will win their first #KornFerryTour title. pic.twitter.com/iblFqaVQS2
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) October 4, 2020
“I would like to be going home as I haven’t seen my fiancé in two months,” said Dougherty, a native of Murrieta, California. “It’ll be nice to get home and see her. I was hoping to get home Sunday but considering the circumstances, I don’t mind.
SAVANNAH GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP: Scoreboard
“We have a chance to compete and being in contention is always fun. Playing in Savannah is one of my favorite places of the year. The golf course is awesome and it’s always in great shape. They treat us great.”
Dougherty had built a two-stroke edge on No, 15 with a birdie, heading down the homestretch.
Could this be his day?!@Kev_Dougherty with a birdie at No. 15 to take a two-stroke lead @savgolfchamp. pic.twitter.com/YnxLmYtNMy
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) October 4, 2020
Dougherty ranked 134th on the Korn Ferry points standings going into the tournament. There was nothing to indicate he would find himself in a position to get his first Korn Ferry win in his second season on the tour, which is owned and operated by the PGA Tour.
A tie for 22nd in Portland represented Dougherty’s best finish this season. Last year, he had two top-10 finishes with total winnings of $144,412. Coming to Savannah, it has been a leaner year as the money list showed him with $33,241.
Last year, Dougherty finished 34th on the final points list, which earned him Korn Ferry Tour status for the 2020 season.
Dougherty came into Savannah off a tie for 55th place last week at the Wichita Open. He opened the season with high expectations but missed the cut in his first four tournaments. For the season, he has made the cut in 10 of 18 tournaments including Savannah.
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