Russell Henley goes unconscious at Colonial, Eric Cole's continuous sting, and Joaquin Niemann flips in Korea
FORT WORTH, Texas — Russell Henley turned a sleepy final round into a fireworks display Sunday, charging home with three straight birdies to force a playoff and then slipping past Eric Cole on the first extra hole to claim the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Henley, 37, arrived at the 16th tee three strokes off the lead. With three holes left, the former Georgia Bulldog decided to play aggressively. He holed a 15‑foot birdie putt on the par‑3 16th, struck his approach to 15 feet on the par‑4 17th and then landed his tee shot on the par‑4 18th inside five feet, setting up another birdie. The back‑to‑back‑to‑back surge tied the tournament at 12‑under par and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
The sudden‑death playoff was brief. Henley opened with a driver and a wedge that left him inside five feet; he calmly rolled in the birdie putt, while Cole could only manage par. The victory was Henley’s sixth on the PGA Tour and his first since a win 14 months earlier.
The triumph also marked a significant financial milestone. With the winner’s purse, Henley’s career earnings crossed the $50 million threshold, moving him past a list of former stars that includes Ernie Els, Bubba Watson, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau and Luke Donald. While he has never been the flashiest name on Tour, the quiet‐spoken Georgian has quietly built one of the most consistent earnings records in the game.
Henley’s performance Sunday was a stark contrast to his reputation for caution on the closing holes. “I felt like I had nothing to lose and everything to gain,” he said after the ceremony, noting that the demanding Colonial layout demanded sharp, aggressive play. “I just tried to hit good shots and let the putts fall.”
For Cole, the day ended in familiar heartbreak. The 37‑year‑old, who earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2023, has now logged 120 starts on the PGA Tour, making 84 cuts, notching 41 Top‑25 finishes and collecting $13.5 million in earnings. Despite those solid numbers, he remains winless at the highest level, a fact that has earned him the unwanted标签 of a perennial runner‑up.
Cole’s final round was modest—he hit just 10 greens in regulation and posted an even‑par 70—yet he still managed to stay in contention until the very end. “Even‑par rounds on Sunday rarely get the job done, and I know I was beaten by a player who got hot at the right time,” Cole admitted afterward.
Sunday’s loss was the second time Cole has watched an opponent birdie the first playoff hole to clinch a title; Chris Kirk did the same to him at the 2023 Honda Classic. “It’s a tough pill to swallow,” Cole said, “but I’ll keep working and try to close the gap next time.”
Across the globe, another veteran of the professional game was celebrating. At LIV Golf Korea in Seoul, Joaquin Niemann defeated Talor Gooch in a playoff to claim his eighth individual title on the circuit. The win extends his dominance on the Saudi‑backed league, where no other player has collected more titles since the series began in 2022.
Niemann, now 27, burst onto the scene as a two‑time winner on the PGA Tour and peaked at No. 15 in the world rankings. Despite that pedigree, his major championship record remains puzzling. In 28 major starts, he has recorded just one top‑10 finish—a tie for eighth at the 2025 PGA Championship. The lack of impact on the biggest stages has left fans and analysts wondering whether the Chilean’s prodigious talent will ever translate consistently to the sport’s premier events.
The 2025 season has seen speculation about LIV Golf’s future, with rumors that the league could dissolve within the next few years. If that happens, Niemann’s next move would be among the most closely watched in golf. With his recent form and still‑young career, many believe he has the game to re‑enter the PGA Tour and contend for major titles.
The week’s action underscored the divergent paths shaping professional golf: Henley’s steady climb to a career‑defining earnings milestone, Cole’s ongoing quest to turn near‑misses into victories, and Niemann’s quiet dominance on a rival circuit—each story a reminder that the sport can be as much about perseverance and reinvention as it is about raw talent.