We had too much fun with yesterday’s April Fools Day version of Tour Rundown. We hope that our fictions weren’t as convincing as, say Hayden “Sidd” Finch was, so many years ago in Sports Illustrated. In this week’s true Tour Rundown, we look at Kevin Kisner match-play work in Austin, while Graeme McDowell returned to victory lane with a title in the Dominican Republic. Elsewehere, the LPGA crowned Nasa Hasaoka queen of Carlsbad, and the European and Champions tours recognized Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and the USA’s Kevin Sutherland as rightful claimants to the Savannah and Rapiscan titles.

1. Kisner’s WGC Match Play title caps head-to-head run

With the exception of a little international friendly last fall in France, Kevin Kisner has been the match-play story of the past 365 days. The South Carolinian finished as runner-up to Bubba Watson in 2018. In 2019, he returned to Austin and went one step farther, claiming the coveted title. Kisner defeated Matt Kuchar in the final, closing with stellar grace under pressure. His composure had European Ryder Cup stalwart, Lee Westwood, chirping earlier in the week that Kisner’s match-play game would certainly have shone well
at Le Golf National, for last year’s Ryder Cup matches. Both finalists survived harrowing finishes in Sunday morning’s semifinal matches. Each pulled out a 1-up victory over Francesco Molinari (Kisner) and Lucas Bjerregaard (Kuchar.) In the final match, Kisner took the lead on the 1st hole with birdie and never gave it back. Kuchar returned to all square on one occasion, when he made par to Kisner’s bogey at the 5th. Kuchar would win just one more hole (the 9th) and his only birdies would be halved by Kisner. On a day when he needed more, Kuchar did not produce and Kisner’s 2-under effort through 16 holes, brought him a 3-and-2 victory. The match play never fails to deliver some good, some bad, and some unusual. Have a look.

A shirtless hole-out eagle from the water. ????
Tiger's amazing recovery from the bushes. ????@JJWatt stops by @DellMatchPlay. ????

And much more in the Good, Bad and Unusual. pic.twitter.com/2hLqPKNENo

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 1, 2019

2. Graeme McDowell claims fourth PGA tour title at Dominican debut

Beginning in 2010 with the US Open, Graeme McDowell has spaced out his 4 PGA Tour victories nicely. Wins in 2013, 2015, and 2019 put him on the verge of joining a solid group with 5 titles and 1 major. The majority of his success came earlier in his career, on the European tour, where he claimed 10 titles from 2002 to 2014. This week, McDowell made the most of the event opposite the WGC Match Play, holding off Mackenzie Hughes and Chris Stroud by one stroke for victory in the inaugural Puntacana Championship. McDowell positioned himself as the target with twin, middle rounds of 64, then opened Sunday with 4 birdies through the first 7 holes to preserve his lead. Hughes, Stroud and others were relentless, but McDowell survived a bogey at the turn and came to the last with 2 strokes in hand. He played the final fairway calmly, closing with bogey for -18 and his welcome margin of victory. A playoff wouldn’t have fazed the Northern Irishman, as he holds a 5-1 record in pro extra time. With the Masters around the corner, victory gives the one-time major champion an extra boost of confidence on the road to Augusta.

From 119th to 42nd in the #FedExCup.

A closer look at @Graeme_McDowell's impressive performance @CoralesChamp. pic.twitter.com/Xkbiq9j50f

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 2, 2019

3. Hataoka holds off handful of pursuers to claim LPGA’s Kia Classic

After a clean card of 8 birdies and 0 bogies produced a 64 and a healthy lead on Saturday, Nasa Hataoka found herself in a common position in professional golf: in need of a strong final round to fend off the chasers. The young Japanese golfer had many pursuers on Sunday, and 5 of them reached 15-under par at day’s end. Hataoka simply gave them no chance at recovery; she posted 5 more birdies through 15 holes in round 4, and when she finally made a bogey at 16 (only her 3rd of the week) she immediately rebounded with birdie at 17 to reach -18 and secure a 3-shot win over the quintet. Keep in mind that her pursuers included Inbee Park, Sung Hyung Park, Danielle Kang and other, worthy opponents. The trophy was Hataoka’s 3rd in 2 years on tour, marking her as yet another young stalwart with a chance at victory each week on the women’s tour.

The final round of the @LPGAKiaClassic was full of eagles, clutch shots and low scores!

Check out the highlights from the exciting conclusion to the 2019 Kia Classic!

HIGHLIGHTS ?? pic.twitter.com/YogUUpci3H

— LPGA (@LPGA) April 1, 2019

4. Gallacher claims victory on the moon at European Tour’s Hero Indian Open

The USA’s Julian Suri let another title slip away in India this weekend, but his story is not the compelling one. The headlines belong, rightfully so, to Stephen Gallacher. A 40-something pro from Scotland, Gallacher made a name for himself mid-decade, with back-to-back wins at the Dubai Desert Classic. Tournament titles have been sparse for the Scotsman in his 20 years on tour. Sunday’s victory at the course from the moon, aka Boulder City, was a complete surprise, and an inspiration for those still grinding in the late stages of their careers. What made the win even more unlikely for Gallacher was the marking of a quadruple-bogey 8 on his card in round 4. The 7th hole gave him fits all week, despite a birdie there in round 1. Rather than simply disappearing into a fog of frustration, Gallacher recovered with 6 birdies over the next 11 holes. A birdie at the last was enough to push him past Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura, to -9 on the week and victory. With a 1-2 record in European Tour playoffs, outright triumph certainly suited Gallacher better than extra holes.

WOW!! ????

Could that be the moment that wins @stevieggolf the title?#HIO2019 pic.twitter.com/MBzLd5Lzot

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) March 31, 2019

5. McCarthy’s return complete with Web.Com tour triumph

If you followed him in 2016, Dan McCarthy was the dominating force on the PGA Tour’s Canadian circuit. He was poised to repeat this success in 2017 and 2018, but caution following injury slowed his progress. Fully healthy in 2019, McCarthy reclaimed the mastery with a first Web.Com victory at the Savannah Championship. The champion opened with rounds of 67 and 65, but faced a test with 4 bogeys on Saturday. Still in a tie for the lead on Sunday morning, the Syracuse native played consistent golf on day four. His 4-birdie, 1-bogey effort separated him from 3rd-round co-leader Scottie Scheffler. The UTexas alum played the first 12 holes erratically, then caught fire with birdies at 14-16. Bogey at 17 dropped Scheffler from the lead, and he was unable to birdie the last to force a playoff. With the win, McCarthy moved inside the top 10 on the season’s chase for 25 PGA Tour cards.

Scottie Scheffler vs. @DMcCarthyGolf.

It came down to the 72nd green @WebTourSavannah.

How things played out … pic.twitter.com/19w2ipEEhi

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) April 1, 2019

6. Seven-hole playoff finishes Monday at Champions Tour

Scott Parel has played very good golf the past 2 years on the Champions Tour. He did so again on Sunday, finishing at -7 through 3 rounds. Kevin Sutherland played terrific golf on Friday-Saturday, but not so much on Sunday. His closing 75, lowlighted by 0 birdies on the day, dropped him to -7, into a playoff with Parel. The two headed off to extra holes, but were unable to decide a winner through 5 attempts. Return to the course on Monday, they did, and two more holes were needed before Sutherland dropped a decent putt for birdie and the title. The victory was Sutherland’s 2nd on the senior circuit, coming two seasons after he closed 2017 with a win at the Charles Schwab Cup championship.

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Kevin Sutherland makes birdie on seventh playoff hole to win @RapiscanClassic. pic.twitter.com/C5Y1QQrjSM

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) April 1, 2019