Luke List carded a final round 70 to reach 18-under and win the Sanderson Farms Championship in a five-man playoff where he made a 40-foot putt for birdie.
“It’s been an interesting last hour. Start of the day, I kind of had a number in mind and I think that kind of hindered my play early on, so then I tried to just free it up.
“My ball-striking really wasn’t there this weekend, but I was able to really scramble nicely and make some putts. I was just mentioning, it’s very challenging to win out here. Ben played great, but 16 and 18 were playing difficult. Just to have the opportunity to get in a playoff, I felt like, wow, okay, this is a gift.
“Then my mindset just switched into, okay, let’s try to make birdie any way I could. Didn’t hit the best iron shot, but I told my caddie, I’m making this, and I just somehow rolled it in.”
This was the American’s second PGA Tour title in his 253rd start at the age of 38 years, 8 months, 24 days. Since winning his first title at the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open (also in a playoff, defeating Will Zalatoris), he had not posted a top-10 between victories, a span of 47 starts. His best result this season prior to victory was T11 at The Sentry.
“It obviously opens up a lot of doors, the Sentry in Maui and Augusta and some stuff,” said List. “I was just really happy with the way I hung in there mentally throughout the weekend without my “A” game, per se, golf swing. Usually in the past I would kind of fold up and get a little frustrated, and I was able to just hang in there. My caddie did a fantastic job on keeping me present, and just very fortunate to come out on top.”
Overnight leader Ben Griffin, who started the day with a three-shot lead, closed with a 74 after missing a par putt from 9 feet, 6 inches on the 72nd hole that set up the playoff.
“I just got a little loose out there today,” said Griffin. “It was a grind pretty much all day. I didn’t really have a ton of control. I kind of got — had a little spark there in the middle, had some good up-and-downs on the back nine to kind of keep myself in it. Was a little disappointed I missed it left on 18. I hit the wrong shot at the wrong time. I needed to keep it low with the wind up there, and I chose a club that I was hitting it high. I wish I had maybe taken a bit more time and really thought through the shot. I thought maybe I didn’t think through it enough.
“It’s a bummer. I learned a lot from Bermuda, and I thought I was going to still be able to get it done today, and it just sucks. That’s all it is.
“But I get to play golf for a living, so…”
Fellow American Scott Stallings (70) as well as Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg (68) and Henrik Norlander (70) also finished second.
This was the first five-man playoff since the 2016 RSM Classic, won by Mackenzie Hughes and also featuring Henrik Norlander. The last playoff that included more than five players was at the 2021 Wyndham Championship (6; won by Kevin Kisner).
Åberg, a member of the winning European Ryder Cup team last week in Italy, collects his best Tour finish in his 13th start and the second top-10 of his career (T4/2023 John Deere Classic).
