GOLF: Russell Henley birdies first playoff hole, wins Charles Schwab Challenge

Russell Henley did some of his most difficult work during Sunday's final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge to get into a playoff.

Yet he still had to put aside his nerves to finish the task.

Henley birdied the first playoff hole with a putt from inside 5 feet to defeat Eric Cole and complete a comeback victory in Fort Worth, Texas.

"This is why I practice hard ... to come back to the playoff and do that, I'm still just kind of shaking," Henley said. "That was as nervous as I've been over a putt in my whole life."

Henley shot 3-under-par 67 with birdies on the final three holes before beating Cole in the playoff. They were tied at 12-under 268.

Cole, who shot 70 in the fourth round, failed to convert a 13-foot putt for birdie before Henley sank the winning putt when the duo replayed the par-4 No. 18 at Colonial Country Club.

"The putt was good, I hit it pretty much where I was aiming, I just kind of misread it," Cole said. "I thought it might start breaking left a little earlier."

Henley, now a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, won for the first time since the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"I think the longer you play this game, the more you want, you want more success and I feel like I've just worked harder and harder and I feel like I've been a little off just mentally this year, really," Henley said. "Just feel like I just fought really hard through the end, so it just felt really good to see an awesome result."

Henley's round began with an eagle on the par-5 first hole and a birdie on the next hole followed by three consecutive bogeys. He played Nos. 3-9 in 4 over before recovering. His tying birdie putt on No. 18 was from about 16 1/2 feet.

He recalled "feeling a little jittery" on the front side. Then that changed.

"I just kind of calmed down a little bit and started to hit some good shots, and felt like I was hitting good putts most of the day and they just went in at the end," he said.

Cole, the third-round leader, was bidding for his first victory on the PGA Tour. He had birdies on the first two holes but didn't maintain the momentum and was hurt by a double bogey at No. 9.

"I was proud with the way I played," Cole said. "I think I played solid for the most part. I drove the ball pretty well. I just needed to shave a shot somewhere."

Defending champion Ben Griffin (65), Mac Meissner (69) and Alex Smalley (68) shared third place at 11 under.

Meissner, playing in the last pairing with Cole, needed a birdie on No. 18 to join the playoff. Instead, his second shot ended up in a bunker and he scrambled for par.

Griffin moved into second place by the midway mark of the round, catapulted by playing the front nine in 5 under. He was even par the rest of the way. Griffin's 65 matched Steven Fisk for the best round of the day.

"I felt like I was going to make a nice run when I woke up this morning," Griffin said. "My game was trending in the right direction. It's a course I have experience on and I kind of know what you have to do on Sunday here."

He nearly rolled in a 50-foot birdie putt on the last hole.

J.J. Spaun (70), Gary Woodland (67), Michael Brennan (68) and Colombia's Nico Echavarria (68) all tied for sixth place at 10 under.

Brennan pulled into a share of the lead by mid-afternoon, but across his final seven holes, he had three bogeys and two birdies.

Woodland was happy to move into contention.

"I'm excited about where the game is at," Woodland said. "I definitely didn't get the most out of it this week, I played a lot better than what I scored, but happy with where it's at."

England's Jordan Smith, who led at the tournament's midway mark, finished at 8 under and tied for 13th place after a final-round 68.

--Field Level Media/Reuters

FORT WORTH, Texas — Russell Henley produced a steady and determined final round on Sunday at the Charles Schwab Challenge, overcoming early turbulence and late pressure to force a playoff and ultimately secure victory over Eric Cole.

Henley birdied the first playoff hole with a putt from inside five feet to defeat Cole, completing a dramatic comeback at Colonial Country Club. The win marked another milestone in Henley’s PGA Tour career and his first title since the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

“This is why I practice hard… to come back to the playoff and do that. I’m still kind of shaking,” Henley said. “That was as nervous as I’ve been over a putt in my whole life.”

Henley carded a 3-under 67 in the final round, highlighted by birdies on the closing three holes. He finished tied with Cole at 12-under 268 after regulation play.

Cole, who posted a 70 in the final round, had a chance to close out the tournament in regulation but missed a 13-foot birdie attempt before heading to the playoff. On the replay of the par-4 18th hole, Cole again came up short, while Henley converted to seal the win.

“The putt was good. I hit it pretty much where I was aiming, I just kind of misread it,” Cole said. “I thought it might start breaking left a little earlier.”

Henley’s victory earned him his sixth PGA Tour title. He reflected on a season that tested his mental game but ultimately rewarded his persistence.

“I think the longer you play this game, the more you want success,” Henley said. “I feel like I’ve worked harder and harder. I’ve been a little off mentally this year, really. I just fought really hard through the end, so it felt really good to see an awesome result.”

His round was anything but smooth. Henley opened with an eagle on the par-5 first hole and added a birdie on the second, but then dropped three consecutive bogeys. He played the next several holes over par before stabilizing late in the round. A clutch birdie putt from roughly 16 1/2 feet on the 18th hole forced the playoff.

Henley admitted to early nerves before settling into his rhythm.

“I just kind of calmed down a little bit and started to hit some good shots,” he said. “I felt like I was hitting good putts most of the day, and they just went in at the end.”

Cole, the third-round leader, was seeking his first PGA Tour win. He started strong with birdies on the first two holes but lost momentum after a double bogey on the ninth.

“I was proud of the way I played,” Cole said. “I think I played solid for the most part. I drove the ball pretty well. I just needed to shave a shot somewhere.”

Defending champion Ben Griffin, along with Mac Meissner and Alex Smalley, finished tied for third at 11-under.

Meissner, paired with Cole in the final group, needed a birdie on the 18th to reach the playoff but found a bunker off the tee and settled for par.

Griffin surged early with a front-nine 31 that briefly put him in contention before finishing even-par on the back nine. His final-round 65 matched the low round of the day.

“I felt like I was going to make a nice run when I woke up this morning,” Griffin said. “My game was trending in the right direction. I know this course and what you have to do on Sunday here.”

J.J. Spaun, Gary Woodland, Michael Brennan, and Colombia’s Nico Echavarria all finished tied for sixth at 10-under.

England’s Jordan Smith, the halfway leader, closed with a 68 to finish tied for 13th at 8-under.

— Reporting by Field Level Media / Reuters