PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Joe Highsmith could feel himself crumbling under the pressure at the Cognizant Classic.
This was on Friday, when the only thing at stake was making the cut. It came down to a 5-foot par putt he described as “the worst putt you'd ever want,” moving from right to left, nervy for a left-handed player. He made the par. He made the cut.
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Two days later, he was a PGA Tour winner headed to the Masters for the first time.
Highsmith had the lowest weekend score in PGA National history with a pair of 6-under 64s to win the Cognizant Classic. He is the first player in nine years to go from making the cut on the number to hoisting the trophy.
“Winning was the last thing on my mind,” Highsmith said. “It’s incredible to come out on top. I played probably the best round of my life.”
Highsmith rallied from a four-shot deficit with three straight birdies around the turn and a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th that all but clinched it.
He had a little help from Jake Knapp, who opened the tournament with a 59 and held it together until one shot into the water and two more to get out.
Knapp, trying to become the first wire-to-wire winner in tournament history, had a one-shot lead when his wedge to the 11th came up short and into the water, with only half of the golf ball submerged. He tried to blast out and it trickled down the slope and back to the water. He tried again, this time the ball holding up in the rough.
“Didn’t hit any of them really hard enough, unfortunately,” Knapp said.
He would up with a triple bogey and never caught up. Knapp didn't make another birdie the rest of the way, closed with a 72 and tied for sixth along with Michael Kim (71), who played with him in the final group.
Jacob Bridgeman closed with a 64 and J.J. Spaun had a 66 to share second place.
“I was trying to make as many birdies as I could,” Bridgeman said. “I knew I had to do something kind of extraordinary today to catch the leaders, and I caught them, but they’re only on the ninth hole.”
His runner-up finish was enough to get him into the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week.
Highsmith, a 24-year-old with a bucket hat and a broad smile, became the first player to make the cut on the number and win since Brandt Snedeker at Torrey Pines in 2016.
And it all started with that par putt on Friday.
“Found myself with a 5-footer on 18 just to play the weekend,” he said. “I was like, ‘Man, am I really going to miss the cut?’”
He knew he could make up ground by playing early Saturday. He was right in the thick of it Sunday afternoon and showed his mettle. With so many players in the mix, it was set up to be a wild finish, and five players had at least a share of the lead at one point.
Highsmith eliminated the drama in the final hour with a flawless round and an unforgettable weekend he played in 14-under 128. His big run started with a wedge to 3 feet on No. 9. He two-putted for birdie on the par-5 10th and rolled in an 18-foot birdie on No. 11.
He added a 15-foot birdie putt at the 13th to take control, and then sealed it with his birdie putt down the slope on the 17th.
Highsmith was all smiles coming off the 18th green with his caddie Joe LaCava IV, the son of the caddie who was on the bag for Masters champions Fred Couples in 1992 and Tiger Woods in 2019, and who now works for Patrick Cantlay.
Highsmith is the second first-time winner in as many weeks, following Brian Campbell winning the Mexico Open. He finished at 19-under 265 and picked up plenty of perks. Along with earning a place in the Masters and PGA Championship, Highsmith is in the remaining five signature events, starting next week at Bay Hill.
“Did you say the Masters?” he said. “I went last year to the tournament just as a spectator because any chance that I can get to walk out there, I’m going to take advantage of that. But to be playing in that tournament is going to be very special and, obviously, something you work towards your whole life.
"But you never really know when you’re going to get that chance.”
Jordan Spieth had four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn to get on the fringe of contention, only to play the final six holes in 1 over for a 68 to tie for ninth, his second top 10 in four starts since returning from wrist surgery last August.
Florida State junior Luke Clanton, who secured a PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University program by making the cut, shot 69 and tied for 18th.
Highsmith shot the lowest 72-hole score since the tournament moved to PGA National, which has held two PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup, in 2007. The course was overseeded, making the rough less daunting and the fairways softer.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf