Kokrak storms from behind at CJ Cup to claim 1st PGA Tour title
Jason Kokrak won the CJ Cup by two shots over Xander Schauffele on Sunday to claim his first career victory on the PGA Tour.
The 35-year-old entered the day trailing 54-hole leader Russell Henley by three strokes but carded a blistering 8-under 64 at Shadow Creek to storm from behind and take home the massive $1.755-million winner's prize.
Kokrak rode a hot putter en route to victory. He gained over 10 strokes on the greens - including 3.5 in the final round - to lead the field in putting for the week. He also finished eighth in strokes gained: tee to green.
The veteran's last professional victory was in 2011, coming on the formerly-named Nationwide Tour. The win comes in Korkak's 233rd start on the PGA Tour.
Here's how the leaderboard finished from Las Vegas:
| Place | Player | To Par | R4 Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Kokrak | -20 | 64 |
| 2 | Xander Schauffele | -18 | 66 |
| T3 | Tyrrell Hatton | -17 | 65 |
| T3 | Russell Henley | -17 | 70 |
| 5 | Talor Gooch | -16 | 68 |
| 6 | Joaquin Niemann | -13 | 66 |
| T7 | Bubba Watson | -12 | 68 |
| T7 | Lanto Griffin | -12 | 72 |
| 9 | Sebastian Munoz | -11 | 69 |
| 10 | Harris English | -10 | 68 |
Schauffele burst out of the gates with three birdies in his first five holes to take the outright lead. However, he made a costly bogey on the par-5 16th to drop into solo second. The 26-year-old now has six runner-up results since his last victory at the 2019 Tournament of Champions.
Defending champion Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa both finished at 8-under, good enough for a share of 12th.
Rory McIlroy was in the top 10 before playing his final five holes at 6-over. He wound up in a tie for 21st.
Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka finished in a tie for 28th at 5-under in his first start since returning from knee and hip injuries that kept him out since the middle of August.
The PGA Tour heads to Sherwood Country Club next week for the Zozo Championship, of which Tiger Woods is the defending champion.