Webb Simpson Wins RBC Heritage In Record Fashion, First Tour Player, Nick Watney, Tests Positive For COVD-19

In just its second week back following the coronavirus pandemic, the PGA Tour continues to excite fans, this week at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The weekend especially saw some really good golf, but in the end it was Webb Simpson coming out victorious, for his second win of the season, tied for the most this season on the PGA Tour.

Typically, Father’s Day will see the final round of the U.S. Open being played, but because of the pandemic, the event was rescheduled and instead fans got the RBC Heritage. Similarly to how he did on Father’s Day 2012, Simpson was able to come out victorious in record style, breaking the previous tournament record by two shots, going 22-under par.

Simpson did so by making birdies on five of his final six holes, edging out Abraham Ancer by one shot to win, and overcame a three-hour weather delay. Although he was tied for the lead entering the final round, Simpson saw himself two shots back by the time he teed off and it was not until a birdie on the twelfth hole kicked him into overdrive. 

After his round, Simpson talked about the significance of this win for him. Especially since it came on Father’s Day, as his father passed away in 2017 due to complications with Parkinson’s disease. “I won The Players on Mother’s Day after my dad passed away, and that was really special. That was an emotional win. U.S. Open on Father’s Day, I’ll never forget calling my dad after on the way to the press conference, and when he picked up the phone, he just was laughing. That’s kind of what he did when he was happy, he would just laugh. So I’m going to miss that laugh today for sure. But I thought a lot about him,” he said. “This morning I thought about him, and when I was on the golf course, I thought about him. … He loved golf. He would have loved watching today.”

The final two days of the tournament saw significantly low scores, which allowed for a number of players to be in contention entering the final round. Simpson, as mentioned, finished 22-under par. A total of 15 players finished within six shots of Simpson. 

One of the big headlines from this week’s tournament was that the PGA Tour saw its first player test positive for COVID-19 since resuming its season. After Thursday’s first round, Nick Watney tested positive for the virus. He tested negative for the virus upon arrival at Hilton Head, but said he was experiencing symptoms, following a second test he was found to have the virus. Watney promptly withdrew from the tournament and there has not yet been any further positive tests. 

Players will now make their way up to Cromwell, Connecticut, where players will partake in the Travelers Championship, where players will be tested for the virus upon arrival.

Article by Tyler Melito