McKINNEY — A determined K.H. Lee held off a pair of early finishing challengers as well as the overnight leader by shooting a 6-under 66 to capture the $8.1 million AT&T Byron Nelson on Sunday at TPC Craig Ranch.
Patton Kizzire and Daniel Berger posted low scores early to reach 21 under and waited along with Lee’s playing partner Sam Burns to see if the 29-year-old South Korean would blink. He did not, but the final answer did not come without a wait.
With three holes remaining and leading by three strokes, Lee’s first PGA Tour victory celebration was put on hold by a weather delay of 2 hours, 23 minutes.
When play resumed, Lee failed to convert a 15-foot par putt at No. 16 for his second bogey, dropping his lead to two strokes.
Undaunted, Lee responded at the par-3 17th hole with a 130-yard tee shot to within 4 feet. When that putt dropped, the lead was again three.
The four-time winner in Asia two-putted the final hole for his eighth birdie of the day to earn the winner’s check of $1.5 million just as the sun popped out.
“I imagine when I win a fist pump or a lot of things, but too excited,’' Lee said. “Almost forget everything.’'
Lee’s 25-under score is a tournament record. The previous record of 23 under was set in 2018 by Aaron Wise at Trinity Forest Golf Club and matched in 2019 by Sung Kang.
“I just try to keep patient and think positive,’' Lee said. “I don’t want to look at the leaderboard, just try my golf. I’m very excited and happy.’'
Rain began shortly before 11 a.m. when the leaders were closing out their opening nine and fell at varying degrees of intensity. Play was halted by lightning just before 2 p.m. with nine players on the course.
Lee began the final round in second place at 19 under, trailing second- and third-round leader Burns by one stroke.
When Burns bogeyed the first hole, Lee pulled even with a par and went ahead with a birdie at No. 2.
Lee is known for accurate iron play and wasted no time displaying that part of his game with approach shots to 13 feet on No. 2, 11 feet on No. 3, 10 feet on the 186-yard par-3 fourth, 4 feet from 67 yards on No. 6 and 3 feet from 167 yards on No. 8. In each case, Lee converted for birdies with a new putter added to his bag just this week.
Playing the par-5 ninth in some of the heaviest rain to that point, Lee saw his bogey-free streak end at 51 holes when he missed a 10-foot par putt. His previous bogey came in Thursday’s opening round.
But with his lead reduced to two strokes, Lee made an all-important birdie at the par-5 12th to regain a three-shot advantage.
Burns, a Tyler resident and the leader after the second and third rounds, could not find the putting touch he displayed in shooting a course-record 62 Friday. But his 4-foot birdie putt on No. 18 earned him solo second place at 22-under.
“When it was tough [Lee] hung in there,’' said Burns. “Midway through when it got tough for everybody he kept hitting one shot after the next and never gave anybody a chance.’'
Kizzire made the biggest move Sunday, firing a 9-under 63, one shot shy of the course record. Thanks to an early tee time, he had to deal with the rain for only his last four holes.
Berger, tied for 18th at the start of the round, put together a run of five consecutive birdies starting at No. 6. He pulled within two shots of the lead with his eighth birdie of the day on the par-3 15th but failed to get up and down from 70 feet for a momentum-wrecking bogey at No. 16. Berger settled for a 64.
Scott Stallings joined Kizzire and Berger in a three-way tie for third at 21-under with a final round 66.
Welcome to the Ranch: In its first shot at hosting the Nelson, TPC Craig Ranch yielded low scores and a near-record 36-hole cut line of 6 under. For the week, the 7,468-yard layout gave up 65 eagles and 2,007 birdies.
Most difficult hole: For the final round and for the week, the par-4 16th hole proved to be the most difficult at TPC Craig Ranch. Playing at 463 yards in the final round, the average score was 4.37. For the week the average was 4.20. The easiest hole Sunday and the week was No. 18. Playing considerably shorter in the fourth round at 518 yards, the average score was 4.51, slightly higher than the 4.45 average for all four rounds.
Being replaced: For the first time in two years, Sung Kang will not be known as “defending Nelson champion.’' Kang, a part-time resident of Irving, shot 69 Sunday and finished at 11-under for 47th place. Kang won in 2019 at Trinity Forest and there was no tournament in 2020.
Sunday charge: Will Zalatoris gained ground with a Sunday charge, aided by a birdie at the 188-yard par-3 fourth hole when his tee shot stopped 5 inches from the hole. The 24-year-old Masters runner-up shot 67 to finish 16-under, good for a share of 17th place.