Jordan Spieth spent the first three days of his title defense on the verge of putting everything together.
After rallying to make the cut, he set his sights on becoming the only player besides Ben Hogan to repeat as champion. He would need a Hogan-like final round to overcome a five-stroke deficit.
On Sunday, the roars rumbling across Colonial Country Club served notice that Spieth’s game was in order. But his bold charge — a 5-under 65 — was not enough to hold off Kevin Kisner, who shot a 66 and finished with a 10-under 270.
Spieth’s historic quest ended one stroke short. His bogey-free round featured five birdies but also birdie putts that lipped out on 3 and 12, and one that did everything but drop on 16.
“All in all, very solid round,” Spieth said. “Can’t ask for much more than a 65 on the last day to come from behind.”
After igniting the crowd with an up-and-down to save par on the final hole, Spieth stood on a chair near the scoring area to peer over the crowd at the 18th green. He watched emotionless as Kisner putted up a mound to 5 feet and then drained the winning putt.
“You could hear the roars for him,” Kisner said. “I didn’t know if that roar on 18 was for par or birdie, and then I was able to watch it on TV [while] standing on the 18 tee.
“So he’s a great kid. I love him. But I love beating him, too.”
Kisner, 33, celebrated his second Tour victory on a course he reveres. After posting top-10s in his previous two Colonial starts, he earned the plaid jacket with a final-round 66.
He overcame windy conditions for the first three rounds to stay close and then pounced on Sunday with birdies on the first three holes of the back nine. He would need those as rain-softened Colonial finally relinquished loads of low scores.
To turn Spieth, Sean O’Hair and powerful rookie Jon Rahm into runners-up, Kisner got up and down from behind the final green after a wayward drive.
“I’ve been in this position a ton, and the one thing I always take away is you just got to keep making birdies and basically look up when you can’t make any more,” Kisner said. “That’s what you dream about, having a one-shot lead on the final hole.”
Apparently the golf gods determined that Spieth had reached his quota of thrilling antics. There would be no magical chip-in on 17 like last year. Instead, Spieth made his only poor putt of the day there from 15 feet.
On 18, his drive sailed right. He managed to hit his approach from the rough over a large tree but his ball landed well short of the green. He shook his head as if knowing the end was near.
Knowing he needed to go low, Spieth seemed in his element firing at the flags in nothing-to-lose mode. He birdied the first two holes, then his putt for birdie on No. 3 lipped out.
He birdied No. 5 and then came close again with his birdie try from 12 feet on 9. His 25-footer on 12 hit the left edge of the cup.
In five Colonials, Spieth has finished T7, T14, T2, 1, T2.
“We were outside the cut line on Friday late morning,” Spieth said. “So to go from there to a second-place finish and almost having a chance at a playoff is tremendous fight.”
