One swing, one splash, one hundred and twenty starts without a win. Ben Kohles stood over an 8-iron on the 72nd hole tied for the lead, and walked off with a double bogey instead of a trophy.

The 36-year-old spoke to reporters after the final round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, on Sunday, July 5.

Chris Gotterup had already signed for a 9-under 62 and a winner's check of $1,584,000, his third win of the year. Kohles needed par to force a playoff. He didn't get it.

"I hit an 8-iron and thought 9 was going to be too short, and thought if I hit a full 8, it could have a chance of going over," he said to the media in a video posted by TeenGolf on YouTube. "So I was just trying to hit kind of a three-quarter punch shot. Just tugged it a little, and obviously ended up in the water. Tough way to finish, especially how I played all day."

The 18th-hole decision came down to club selection. Kohles was caught between an 8-iron and a 9-iron from 175 yards. The 9 felt too short. A full 8 risked flying the green. He settled on a three-quarter punch shot and pulled it left into the water. 

The ball clipped the left edge of the green, bounced off the retaining wall, and splashed. Kohles dropped near the green but missed the par putt, then missed the 3-footer for bogey, a second miss that cost him $316,800 and 100 FedExCup points.

Kohles pushed back on the idea that the back nine unraveled. His only real error came at 11, where he three-putted after misreading the first putt. A pulled tee shot on 14 left a hanging lie from which he couldn't hold the green. On 15, a chip ran out of energy going downhill. He bounced back with a birdie after each mistake.

It's the second time Kohles has made bogey or worse on a closing hole to lose a PGA Tour event.

Ben Kohles has been here before, and the 18th hole has cost him both times

Two years ago at TPC Craig Ranch, Kohles stood on the 72nd tee at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson with a one-shot lead over Taylor Pendrith. 

He hit his approach into greenside rough, left his first chip short of the green, pitched his third to five feet, and missed the par putt. Pendrith two-putted for birdie and the win. It was the only bogey made on the 18th hole by anyone in the field that Sunday.

Sunday at Silvis was the same closing hole, same position, different course. Lead on the 72nd hole. The approach goes wrong. This time it was a double bogey and a water ball instead of a missed chip.

Both collapses came after Kohles surged into the lead with birdies on the holes immediately before 18. At Byron Nelson, he birdied 16 and 17 to take the lead. At Deere Run, he birdied 16 before missing the birdie putt on 17 that would have given him breathing room heading to the last.

Do you think Kohles will get his first PGA Tour win before the season ends? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore