JACKSON, Miss. — Luke List stood nearby as PGA Tour rookie and Ryder Cup champion Ludvig Aberg sent the first putt of a five-man playoff toward the hole on No. 18 at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
When waiting to hit a 43-foot putt of your own, any help on a read is worthwhile.
So List watched, just like the fans gathered in the grandstands as the sun set behind Country Club of Jackson. Then, he stepped up and nailed the putt of a lifetime.
The crowd erupted before quickly silencing for the remaining three shots in the playoff. When Ben Griffin, Scott Stallings and Henrik Norlander missed their birdie attempts, the victory was sealed. For List, it secured his second career PGA Tour win and first since Jan. 29, 2022, when he won the Farmers Insurance Open in a playoff.
“This is why we play and compete,” List said afterward on the broadcast. “For these moments.”
List finished 18 under for the tournament after carding 2-under 70 on Sunday. He entered the final round four shots back of Griffin.
WHAT A PUTT!
Luke List drains it from distance for the win @Sanderson_Champ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KdIlrAjS57
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 8, 2023
List opened his week with back-to-back rounds of 66 and shot 68 on Saturday. It seemed like he’d come up shot of victory Sunday. However, with Griffin carding a pair of bogeys across his final three holes, the field opened up for a five-man playoff — the first on the PGA Tour since 2017.
“I thought I played really well all day and just hung in there,” List said. “I didn’t think it was going to be enough, but here we are. I’m so happy to be here.”
List was so convinced that his tournament was over at the end of regulation that he gave his hat to a kid while walking off the No. 18 green. However, as Griffin started to let the lead slip, List realized he needed the hat back.
He found the kid, who was glad to let him wear it for the playoff. After the trophy presentation, the hat was rewarded to the kid again.
“I’ve got another hat in the locker room, so it wouldn’t have been the end of the world,” List said. “But that one did me right.”
List’s 4-year-old daughter Ryann was the first to meet him on the 18th green after the playoff ended. His wife Chloe and his 2-year-old son Harrison, who was in the midst of enjoying a red lollipop, followed closely behind. As he lifted both kids, he leaned in to give Chloe a kiss.
As he leaned back, List’s eyes opened wide as he looked around at the scene.
“All my emotion came out after that putt, and then it was a shock − really, still is,” List said. “To have them there means everything.”
The Sanderson Farms Championship works closely with Friends of Children’s Hospital, which is a nonprofit organization benefiting Children’s of Mississippi − the state’s only children’s hospital.
That’s significant for List, whose son Harrison was born prematurely and battled health issues. The family, which resides in Augusta, Georgia, spent much of its time at Children’s Hospital of Georgia. Because of that, List took a break from play between mid-June and mid-July in 2021.
Now, he’s back on the PGA Tour, where he has collected two wins since his return, and his son is growing to love the game. Plus, the sport has now given them a Sanderson Farms Championship trophy — fittingly, a rooster — to take home.
“My daughter has been kind of on me (saying) it’s time to win another trophy,” List said. “She really enjoyed the surfboard at Torrey Pines. I told her earlier in the week there was a rooster or chicken or whatever you want to call it. She’s pretty excited.”
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