EVENTS

Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed and Scott Brown post career-best finishes at the PGA Championship

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Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed and Scott Brown post career-best finishes at the PGA Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Patrick Reed, Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown all achieved career-best finishes in a major championship Sunday at Quail Hollow.

But it wasn't what any of the golfers with local ties wanted.

Reed, the former Augusta State All-American, made one of the biggest charges in the final round. His 67 left him tied for second, two shots behind winner Justin Thomas.

Kisner shared the PGA Championship lead after the first two rounds and was the outright leader heading into Sunday. But the Aiken native made a double bogey and four bogeys in his round of 74 and finished tied for seventh.

Brown, who helped USC Aiken win multiple national Division II titles, shot 2-over 73 and wound up tied for 13th. A strong finish Sunday could have boosted him into the top four and his first Masters Tournament appearance.

Reed, who is well known for his Ryder Cup heroics and Captain America persona, had never been better than tied for 13th in a major before Sunday.

He reeled off seven birdies but made three bogeys, including one on the final hole.

"I felt like I went out there, I made enough birdies, but I had too many bogeys," Reed said. "I had too many good opportunities for birdies, and a really good opportunity on 10 or for eagle and just burned edges rather than making putts."

MORE: Full PGA Championship scores

Kisner had relied on his putting through the first 54 holes, but he missed early opportunities.

"A lot of misses inside of 10 feet, and at some point, length is going to catch up with me," he said. "And guys hitting it 30 feet by me have an advantage if I'm not hitting putts inside 10 feet."

On the 18th hole, Kisner knew he needed to hole his second shot to force a playoff with Thomas. But he found the creek next to the green and made a double bogey, dropping him out of a tie for second.

"Yeah, I had a mud ball, mud on the right but I didn't know how much room to give it," Kisner said. "It was probably my best swing of the day, just pure and I looked up and it just hooked early. Just came down right on the water."

Both Kisner and Brown, who make their homes in Aiken, had a healthy dose of fan support. Plenty of fans made the short drive to Charlotte to cheer on the locals.

Brown made two bogeys on his first nine holes against no birdies. Coming in, he made two birdies and two bogeys to complete his round of 73.

In just his fourth appearance in a major, Brown improved on a tie for 46th and two missed cuts.

Both Reed and Kisner can take some solace that they qualified for the Presidents Cup team.

"If you go out and play some good golf and you win a golf tournament, and you keep getting yourself in contention, you won't have to worry about that," Reed said.

Kisner said the long-hitting Thomas was a "stud" and he looks forward to playing with him in the international competition.

But Kisner was disappointed that he didn't walk away with his first major, and he didn't buy the notion that you had to lose one before you won one. His best previous finish in a major was a tie for 12th.

"I don't believe in all that," he said. "You play good, you win, bottom line."

This article is written by John Boyette from The Augusta Chronicle, Ga. and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.