2015 RBC Heritage results: Jim Furyk ends excruciating winless streak with playoff victory

Kevin Kisner pushed Jim Furyk to a couple dramatic extra playoff holes, but at long last, the former U.S. Open champ with the funky swing ends a brutal five-year drought.

It's oddly fitting that Jim Furyk ended one of the more excruciating winless streaks in recent golf history the quiet week after the Masters and out of view of a television camera. Furyk is maybe the most unheralded great player of his generation on the PGA Tour. Over the past fives years, we've witnessed repeated brutal close calls -- on Sunday at the majors, in Canada, at Pebble Beach, and everywhere in between. Then, when he finally ends that five-year drought with one onions shot after another to hold off Kevin Kisner in a playoff at the RBC Heritage, nobody is there to see it live.

After holding so many 54-hole leads during this drought, Furyk decided to finally get back on the board by coming from behind with a dramatic Sunday charge. He held a multi-shot lead for much of the back nine thanks a perfect outward 30, which featured six birdies and no bogeys on the card. The 17-time PGA Tour winner stuffed it close all day to quickly pass the group ahead of him on one of the season's most enjoyable and historic tracks. When he finally posted that first bogey -- the result of a three-putt -- Furyk got it right back at the 12th:

How did Jim Furyk respond to a three-putt bogey at 11? By hitting this shot at 12 and making birdie. #QuickHits http://t.co/eoyuRossbg

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 19, 2015

And yet because it was Furyk and he had this nightmare streak that just wouldn't go away, the final round 63 would not be enough. He was momentarily up three with three to play, but then Kisner went nuts on his way into the clubhouse. Kisner, a South Carolina native, has zero career wins but he pushed Furyk to the limit. After three birdies in Kisner's final five holes, the mutli-shot lead evaporated. Kisner needed a birdie on the 18th to force extra holes, and he threw a dart into the final green.

Needing a birdie at 18 to force a playoff, Kevin Kisner just clutched up. http://ift.tt/1yI6qYW

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 19, 2015

While Furyk stood off hiding behind a TV tower and unable to watch, Kisner drilled the putt to force a playoff. At that point, it seemed Furyk was cursed and might never win again. It was an incredible finish for Kisner.

Furyk, however, went to work in the playoff. He matched a 20-foot bomb from Kisner on the opening playoff hole with his own steady birdie putt from just inside 10 feet. At the second playoff hole. Kisner was once again 20 feet out for birdie while Furyk had 12 feet left. Kisner could not convert and Furyk buried his in the center to go birdie-birdie in the playoff and shatter that winless streak in the best way possible.

"That was four-and-a-half years of frustration in that celebration." - Jim Furyk http://ift.tt/1aIBA7d

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 19, 2015

Furyk may be the most consistent player in the world over the past few years. His game wandered off for a bit after that 2010 FedExCup title, but no one has been on the first page of the leaderboard as much as him. No one has had more 54-hole leads and chances to win. But because of a mix of poor final round play, a few bad breaks, and some outstanding rounds from the players chasing him, this cringe-worthy drought persisted.

Furyk is one of the good guys on Tour but the losing streak on Sundays, which included a couple prime opportunities at majors, has been suffocating and at times, uncomfortable. Furyk knew the questions were coming every time he got a lead, and even though there was occasional surliness, he was usually open to the discussion (no matter how much it bothered him). Given where he stood with just three holes to play, this one may have been the toughest to stomach had Kisner grabbed it from him.

Prior to today, his last win -- a $10 million FedExCup title on the best Tour in the world -- prompted projections for many more wins and potentially a few more major championships. He's been on the doorstep so many times in the intervening years. His game is still among the best in the world and he's settled into a spot in the top 10 in the rankings even without winning. That's how consistent he has been. Perhaps this Sunday finish in obscurity will put Furyk on another run of titles. We'll know he'll be there on the first page of leaderboard either way.

Here are your final results from the 2015 Heritage at Hilton Head:

Place	Player	Score	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Total
1	Jim Furyk	-18	71	64	68	63	266
2	Kevin Kisner	-18	68	67	67	64	266
3	Troy Merritt	-16	69	61	69	69	268
4	Brendon Todd	-15	73	66	63	67	269
5	Matt Kuchar	-14	68	66	68	68	270
6	Sean O'Hair	-13	70	67	70	64	271
T7	Louis Oosthuizen	-12	69	67	69	67	272
T7	Branden Grace	-12	70	67	66	69	272
T9	Morgan Hoffmann	-11	68	68	69	68	273
T9	Bo Van Pelt	-11	69	68	67	69	273
T11	Blake Adams	-10	72	65	71	66	274
T11	Justin Thomas	-10	70	67	68	69	274
T11	Jordan Spieth	-10	74	62	68	70	274
T11	Brice Garnett	-10	72	66	65	71	274
T15	Bryce Molder	-9	74	64	70	67	275
T15	Cameron Smith	-9	68	73	67	67	275
T15	Luke Donald	-9	73	66	66	70	275
T18	John Peterson	-8	72	65	71	68	276
T18	Jerry Kelly	-8	71	66	70	69	276
T18	Lucas Glover	-8	70	67	70	69	276
T18	Matt Every	-8	66	70	70	70	276
T18	Jason Kokrak	-8	72	70	65	69	276
T18	Russell Knox	-8	75	64	67	70	276
T18	Ian Poulter	-8	69	70	67	70	276
T18	Brendon de Jonge	-8	70	68	67	71	276
T26	Brandt Snedeker	-7	77	64	67	69	277
T26	Carl Pettersson	-7	72	69	69	67	277
T26	Pat Perez	-7	69	71	67	70	277
T26	Graeme McDowell	-7	66	69	70	72	277
T26	John Merrick	-7	69	65	71	72	277
T31	Bill Haas	-6	71	70	68	69	278
T31	Martin Flores	-6	73	67	69	69	278
T31	William McGirt	-6	71	70	68	69	278
T31	Stewart Cink	-6	70	67	71	70	278
T31	Alex Cejka	-6	70	71	69	68	278
T31	Joost Luiten	-6	69	71	70	68	278
T37	Freddie Jacobson	-5	71	68	70	70	279
T37	Ben Martin	-5	69	69	70	71	279
T37	Sang-Moon Bae	-5	67	73	70	69	279
T37	Ricky Barnes	-5	69	72	70	68	279
T37	Ben Crane	-5	72	67	72	68	279
T37	Jason Dufner	-5	74	67	66	72	279
T37	Scott Brown	-5	74	67	71	67	279
T44	Brian Harman	-4	75	65	69	71	280
T44	Steven Bowditch	-4	74	68	68	70	280
T44	Robert Streb	-4	74	68	68	70	280
T44	Hudson Swafford	-4	70	69	71	70	280
T44	Anirban Lahiri	-4	73	69	66	72	280
T44	Zac Blair	-4	70	69	71	70	280
T44	George McNeill	-4	72	67	72	69	280
T51	Billy Horschel	-3	72	69	69	71	281
T51	Webb Simpson	-3	71	70	69	71	281
T51	Vijay Singh	-3	71	67	70	73	281
T51	Martin Laird	-3	72	70	70	69	281
T55	Robert Allenby	-2	71	71	67	73	282
T55	Brian Stuard	-2	73	68	69	72	282
T55	Kevin Streelman	-2	71	65	71	75	282
T55	Charl Schwartzel	-2	72	70	71	69	282
T55	Jason Bohn	-2	73	68	74	67	282
T60	Danny Lee	-1	71	71	69	72	283
T60	James Hahn	-1	70	69	72	72	283
T60	Andres Gonzales	-1	70	72	70	71	283
T60	Daniel Summerhays	-1	70	70	73	70	283
T64	Charley Hoffman	E	71	70	71	72	284
T64	Scott Vincent	E	70	70	71	73	284
T66	Jim Renner	1	69	69	74	73	285
T66	Aaron Baddeley	1	70	67	76	72	285
T66	Scott Langley	1	68	70	76	71	285
T69	Chris Stroud	2	72	67	69	78	286
T69	Chris Kirk	2	71	70	73	72	286
T69	Charlie Beljan	2	69	72	74	71	286
T72	Tom Watson	3	72	70	69	76	287
T72	Daniel Berger	3	72	68	75	72	287
74	Nick Taylor	4	72	69	77	70	288
T75	Ryo Ishikawa	7	71	70	75	75	291
T75	Boo Weekley	7	74	67	77	73	291

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