‘I can’t really believe it’: Shocking finish to Boise Open sends winner back to PGA Tour

Note to the professional golfers on the Korn Ferry Tour: A par on the 18th hole at Hillcrest Country Club on a Sunday at the Albertsons Boise Open is a perfectly acceptable score.

Just make a par and then see what happens.

That’s essentially what Vanderbilt alum Will Gordon did on the first hole of the three-way playoff Sunday that also included Philip Knowles and MJ Daffue. Knowles and Daffue both struggled mightily on the 18th green.

Gordon’s par gave him a two-stroke win in the first playoff at the Boise Open since 2014. The tournament was the first of three Korn Ferry Tour Finals events in which golfers from the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour are hoping to secure PGA Tour cards for next season.

“I’m so excited,” Gordon said of his first win on the Korn Ferry Tour. “I can’t really believe it, honestly.”

Indeed, it was an almost unbelievable turn of events.

Gordon, the 2019 SEC Player of the Year, began the round in a tie for 13th place and seven strokes off the lead. But he jumped up the leaderboard by carding an eagle on the par-5 second hole and later posting five consecutive birdies on the back nine on his way to an 8-under 63, which tied him with one other golfer for the best round of the day.

Gordon posted a 21-under total. And then came the waiting. He teed off almost two hours earlier than Knowles, who led after each of the first three rounds.

“I went in the locker room and hung out,” Gordon said. “I honestly was just hoping I had a chance.”

Eventually, Gordon made his way to the driving range as Knowles played the 18th hole. Knowles, who shot a 61 and a 64 in the first two rounds, was on his way to shooting a 1-under 70 in the final round. He walked to the 18th tee box with a one-stroke lead and a tournament victory in his grasp.

But Knowles’ approach ended up on the back fringe, well above the hole on the tricky 18th. His shot came out hot and didn’t settle until it was well past the hole.

“I was like, ‘Unless he makes a 30-footer, we have some more golf to play,’ ” Gordon said.

That 30-footer didn’t go in, and so the three-man playoff was on.

As the three golfers approached the 18th green in the first hole of the playoff, Gordon was well below the hole and Knowles and Daffue were above it. Gordon went first and his putt settled about 18 inches from the hole.

“I basically knew I had made 4 (par), and then I thought, ‘Maybe one of these guys won’t make it,’ ” Gordon said.

In fact, they both missed. And again, and again. Knowles and Daffue both walked off the playoff hole having carded double bogeys.

And Gordon walked off with a trophy and the $180,000 winner’s check.

“It just happened so fast,” Gordon said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can two-putt from 18 inches. This is pretty cool.’ … I’m really happy with the way it worked out, obviously, and I’m happy to be back on the PGA Tour.”

After an extended stint on the Korn Ferry circuit, Gordon locked down his return to the Tour, where he has made 43 starts, including a tie for third place at the 2020 Travelers Championship.

As for Knowles, he didn’t get the win he wanted so badly. But he did earn his first PGA Tour card and easily his best finish as a pro.

“I know I’ve got a PGA (Tour) card … and I don’t even know what that really means,” Knowles said. “I’ve got a lot of learning to do.”

One lesson is already in the books, however.

“I learned that I can win out here … even though I didn’t get across that threshold,” Knowles said. “I played great golf, and I’ve got two more weeks (in the Korn Tour Finals). So, I’ve got to walk out of here with my head held high.”

NOTES: Daffue had earned his PGA Tour card before coming to the Boise Open via the regular-season points list. … Sunday marked the second year in a row in which the leader’s play on the 18th green left those in attendance gasping. Last year, Aaron Rai held the lead before watching his shot from the back fringe roll past the hole and to the front of the green. He settled for a double bogey and lost by one shot to eventual champion Greyson Sigg. … The Korn Ferry Tour Finals resume Thursday with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Columbus, Ohio.