Jim Furyk defeats Kevin Kisner in playoff for RBC Heritage win

Jim Furyk won his first PGA Tour event in five years, making birdies on both playoff holes to outlast Kevin Kisner at the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Sunday.

Furyk was ahead by a stroke when Kisner birdied the 72nd hole to force the playoff, the fourth in the last six tournaments at Harbour Town Golf Links. On the first extra hole, Kisner rolled in a second straight birdie putt on the 18th. But Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, answered with a birdie to keep the playoff going.

After Kisner missed his birdie try on No. 17, Furyk sank a 12-foot putt for his 17th career PGA Tour win. He dropped his putter and punched the air in celebration.

Furyk shot a 63 and Kisner a 64, leaving them both at 18-under 266. Third-round leader Troy Merritt was at 16 under after a 69. Defending champion Matt Kuchar (68) was at 14 under, and Masters winner Jordan Spieth (70) was eight shots back.

It was an odd tournament for Furyk, who had come close to breaking his victory drought so many times — he was 0-9 holding 54-hole leads since his last victory.

He looked as if he’d get left behind early, making 18 pars in the first round to fall five shots back. Furyk found his game Friday with eight birdies on the way to a 64. He had a 68 Saturday, yet knew he needed to fire himself as he did Friday to have a chance.

Boy, did he ever.

Furyk had six birdies on his first nine holes, including a 48-footer on the par-4 eighth that moved him in front. A bogey on the 11th dropped Furyk into a four-way tie for first, but he responded with birdies on three of the next four holes and looked as if he’d have an easy time.

Instead, Kisner matched Furyk’s on-target irons to chase him down on the back nine. He had birdies on the 14th and 15th to move within a stroke and stuck his approach on the signature lighthouse hole at No. 18 within 7 feet for a tying birdie.

Furyk is used to such grinding at Harbour Town. When he won there in 2010, Brian Davis tied him on the final hole to force a playoff — won by Furyk when Davis struck a loose impediment on his swing and called a penalty on himself.

Merritt fell to third after a third 69 this week. His other score was a course-record tying 61 in the second round Friday. Merritt couldn’t keep up with Furyk’s charge and lost his chance after hitting out of bounds on No. 12 and taking double bogey. Merritt made up for it a few holes later with an eagle-2 on No. 16.

Spieth closed an amazing five-tournament stretch. He won the Valspar Championship a month ago and followed that with seconds at the Texas and Houston opens before matching Tigers Woods’ record of 18 under at Augusta National. For Spieth, 19 of his past 20 rounds have been under par.

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Olin Browne has won the Greater Gwinnett Championship after constant rain forced the cancellation of Sunday’s final round in Duluth, Ga.

The 57-year-old Browne set the tournament record with a second-round 64 to take the lead at 12 under. Bernhard Langer then matched the record to move into second place.

Rain forced Friday’s first round to be suspended and then completed Saturday morning. There was more rain, but no delays, on Saturday, followed by heavy rain Saturday night and Sunday morning.

This is the first Champions Tour event to be shortened to 36 holes since the 2011 Insperity Championship in Houston.

Browne’s only other career win on the tour came in the 2011 U.S. Seniors Open.

In the three years the tournament has been held, Langer has one win and two second-place finishes.

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Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat captured the inaugural Shenzhen International in China after rallying in regulation with an eagle on the 17th hole and beating Chinese teenager Li Haotong in a playoff.

Kiradech and Li shared the lead after the turn, but the 19-year-old Chinese player looked to be heading for the biggest title of his career when he birdied the 17th and Kiradech bogeyed the par-4 15th to open up a two-stroke lead.

Kiradech rebounded, however, with an eagle on the par-5 17th to pull even with Li again and force the playoff. He had a chance to win on the 18th, but his birdie putt skirted to the right of the hole.

On the playoff hole, Kiradech hit his approach shot to the middle of the 18th green and made a birdie, while Li two-putted for par.