Norman scrambles in playoff, gets first PGA victory

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — Vincent Norrman lipped in an 8-footer for bogey on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff, then scrambled for par on the same hole in sudden death on Sunday to beat Nathan Kimsey and win the Barbasol Championship, his first PGA Tour victory.

The 25-year-old Norrman, a tour rookie who played one year at Florida State after four years at Division II Georgia Southwestern, won in his 23rd career start. The Swede closed with a 66 at Keene Trace to finish at 22-under 266.

Kimsey, a 30-year-old European tour player from England who made his PGA Tour debut in this co-sanctioned event, shot 64 to post 22 under and waited to see if it would be good enough. It didn’t look promising with Norrman and Trevor Cone at 23 under.

But Cone yanked his tee shot into tall grass well left of the green on the par-3 16th, leading to double bogey. That opened the door for Norrman, who hit fairway wood off the 18th tee and went well left into an awkward lie. He still had 57 yards for his third shot, missed the green from there and then chipped well past the hole. His bogey putt caught the lip on the right side and dropped.

In the playoff, Norrman again went left off the tee, missed the green to the right and chipped to 2 feet. Kimsey hit his tee shot into thick rough on the right, just missing the water, and failed to get up-and-down from a bunker well short of the green.

Cone shot 68 and finished one shot shy of the playoff alongside Adrian Saddier (66), a European tour player from France.

Veteran Lucas Glover, who led after the first and second rounds, finished alone in fifth at 20 under, his third consecutive top 10. The 43-year-old Glover shot 68 and extended his streak of rounds in the 60s to 12, all since switching to a long putter.

Cone led by one shot entering the final round but was soon chasing Norrman, who made six birdies on the front nine to turn in 6-under 30. Norrman’s even-par inward nine was good enough. He shot 66-67-67-66 over four days.