Ben Kohles experienced a devastating finish at the John Deere Classic on Sunday, where a double bogey on the final hole cost him a potential victory and a miss on a subsequent short putt relegated him to third place. Kohles, who had led for much of the day, needed a par on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Chris Gotterup or a birdie to win the tournament outright.
His approach shot on the 72nd hole went astray, landing in the water. After taking a drop from the lateral hazard and relief from a sprinkler head, Kohles faced a 45-foot putt to save par. Although he navigated the lengthy putt, he narrowly missed, leading to a double bogey.
The situation worsened when he then missed a subsequent 2-foot-8-inch putt for second place. This missed putt alone resulted in a loss of approximately $316,800 in prize money. Kohles finished the tournament in third place.
"Tough way to finish, especially how I played all day," Kohles said after the round. "Even on the back nine, letting a few holes get away, but bounced right back and made birdies right after. I mean, I’m proud of the way I played. I played awesome all week. You know, obviously sucks to just have that happen on the last hole, but hey, you know, learned a lot about myself."
Kohles, currently ranked 169th in the world, has yet to secure a PGA Tour victory in 120 career starts. This marks his third time in contention in a final group on a Sunday, and he expressed that this felt like his best performance of the three. "This was my third final group on Sunday on the PGA Tour," Kohles said. "Honestly, this was the best I’ve felt out of the first two. I felt good in Dallas a couple of years ago, as well. Just going to keep building from that and use it to go forward."
This finish echoes a similar late-stage disappointment for Kohles at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in 2023, where he held a one-shot lead entering the final hole but ultimately lost after making the day's only bogey on the 18th.