There was a lot of barking echoing around East Lake Golf Club Sunday.
University of Georgia was well represented in the final round of the Tour Championship. Kevin Kisner played in the final pairing, two shots behind third-round leader Paul Casey. Russell Henley began the day five strokes off the pace before his late charge. Fellow Bulldog brethren Brian Harman made it to the FedEx Cup playoff finale as well but was considerably in arrears.
When all was said and done, Kisner and Henley finished tied for third.
Kisner struggled with an even-par round and couldn’t catch the leaders as Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas eventually overtook the 2006 graduate of UGA.
Kisner is not finished for the year. He heads to New York to represent the United States in the Presidents Cup, which begins Thursday.
Henley finished with the low round of the day at 5-under par 65 to climb up the leaderboard. That included four birdies on the front nine to go out in 31 and a birdie of the final hole that took some doing.
After missing a 14-foot putt on No. 17, Henley hit into the rough on No. 18. His caddy talked him into going for the par-5 in two despite water in front. He ended up less than 100 yards from the green and made a 17-foot putt for birdie.
“I knew I needed it,” Henley said. “I knew I needed the one on 17 as well, which was really a good look that I barely missed. So I don’t really have any pressure on me other than to win the tournament, which is some pressure, too. I just knew I needed to make a bunch of birdies. And these guys behind me, they can do something kind of crazy, but happy with a 5-under 65 around this course on a windy day, so it was a nice way to end the year.”
What was next for the 2001 graduate of UGA after the strong finish?
“Probably just go shower up and drive back to Macon,” he said.
Harman finished with an even-par round and was 3-over par for the tournament, tied for 24th.
Georgia Tech was represented by Matt Kuchar, a regular at the Tour Championship. The Yellow Jacket closed with a 3-under par Sunday and finished the tournament tied for 10th at 6-under par.
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