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The biggest final-round comebacks on the PGA Tour this season

By T.J. Auclair
Published on
The biggest final-round comebacks on the PGA Tour this season

A lead going into the final round of a PGA Tour event guarantees, well, not much.

With the depth of the talent on a week-in, week-out basis, the final round isn't going to be a walk in the park for any 54-hole leader. You're the prey and there are loads of predators out there...

... Like the players on the list you'll see below, all 20 of whom came from behind on the final day to win when trailing by at least two strokes with 18 holes to play.

RELATED: First-round scores by eventual winners on the 2016-17 PGA Tour | Superstitions

The largest final-round deficit overcome on the Tour this season was four strokes. It happened on eight occasions. Most recently, it happened at the John Deere Classic, where Bryson DeChambeau picked up his first PGA Tour win. That also earned DeChambeau the final spot in the field for the following week's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Along those same lines, Russell Henley won the Shell Houston Open after starting the final round four behind to punch his ticket to the Masters the next week.

One other notable among the eight that came from four behind on the final day would be rookie Wesley Bryan. One-half of the trick-shot Bryan Brothers duo, Wesley rallied in the final round of the Heritage at Harbour Town to become the first South Carolinian in the tournament's long history to win.

When it comes to the majors, only Justin Thomas rallied from a deficit of at least two strokes on the final day to win wen he was able to rally at Quail Hollow in the PGA Championship. He was two back to start the day.

Here's the complete list Through Dell Technologies Championship, along with the final-round score they recorded and their margin of victory:

4 strokes
- Brendan Steele, Safeway Open, 7-under 65, 1 stroke
- Justin Thomas, CIMB Classic, 8-under 64, 3 strokes
- Hideki Matsuyama, Waste Management Phoenix Open, 5-under 66, won in playoff
- Russell Henley, Shell Houston Open, 7-under 65, 3 strokes
- Wesley Bryan, RBC Heritage, 4-under 67, 1 stroke
- Jason Dufner, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, 4-under 68, 3 strokes
- Kyle Stanley, Quicken Loans National, 4-under 66, won in playoff
- Bryson DeChambeau, John Deere Classic, 6-under 65, 1 stroke

3 strokes
- Jon Rahm, Farmers Insurance Open, 7-under 65, 3 strokes
- Marc Leishman, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, 3-under 69, 1 stroke
- Kevin Kisner, DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, 4-under 66, 1 stroke
- Daniel Berger, FedEx St. Jude Classic, 4-under 66, 1 stroke
- Xander Schauffele, The Greenbrier Classic, 3-under 67, 1 stroke
- Jhonattan Vegas, RBC Canadian Open, 7-under 65, won in playoff
- Dustin Johnson, THE NORTHERN TRUST, 4-under 66, won in playoff

2 strokes
- Hudson Swafford, CareerBuilder Challenge, 5-under 67, 1 stroke
- Brian Harman, Wells Fargo Championship, 4-under 68. 1 stroke
- Si Woo Kim, THE PLAYERS Championship, 3-under 69, 3 strokes
- Hideki Matsuyama, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 9-under 61, 5 strokes
- Justin Thomas, PGA Championship, 3-under 68, 2 strokes