Steven Fisk Wins the ISCO Championship, Outlasting Taylor Pendrith on the Third Playoff Hole

Nine months ago, Steven Fisk's first PGA TOUR win felt like a lightning strike. On Sunday at Hurstbourne, the second one felt like a grind, and that may be exactly why it meant more.

Fisk closed with a 3-under 67 to finish at 16-under 264, then outlasted Taylor Pendrith on the third extra hole to win the ISCO Championship in Louisville. Pendrith shot the day's low round, a 65, to post 16 under, and the two went back and forth on the 18th three times before Fisk's two-putt par finally settled it. Ben Silverman (66) and Aaron Wise (69) finished one shot out of the playoff at 15 under, and 54-hole leader Lucas Glover shot 71 to tie for fifth.

Pendrith Posts the Number

Pendrith started the day four back and did what chasers are supposed to do on a Sunday: go get it and make the leaders react. The Canadian's 65 was capped by a birdie on the par-4 17th, where a 6-iron finished a few feet from the hole. Pendrith was in the clubhouse at 16 under, and suddenly everyone still on the course had a target.

For Pendrith, who won the 2024 CJ CUP Byron Nelson, it was a chance at a second TOUR title. A 63 on Friday and a 66 on Saturday had set it up. Sunday's 65 nearly finished it.

Fisk's Patient Climb

Fisk did not have a fast start. Through nine holes the 29-year-old was even par, hanging around while Glover's lead began to wobble. The back nine is where the round turned. Fisk birdied the 10th and 11th to get moving, then stuck an approach on the 15th to 4 feet and converted for a fourth birdie of the day.

On the 18th, needing par to match Pendrith, Fisk split the fairway, hit the green and two-putted from about 30 feet. No drama, no heroics, just a clean finish that forced extra holes.

Three Trips Down 18

The playoff was survival golf, and both players were tested. On the first extra hole, Pendrith had a 9-foot birdie chance to win and ran it 4 feet past. Fisk, meanwhile, had to get up and down from a greenside bunker just to stay alive, and did.

The second trip was even messier for Fisk, who went from one bunker to another before blasting out to 3 feet and saving par. Pendrith matched it. Officials then moved the hole location on 18 for the third go-around.

That is where it ended. Fisk found the fairway, found the green and two-putted for a third straight playoff par. Pendrith drove into a fairway bunker, left the approach well short, and missed a 10-foot putt for par.

"Kind of feel like all the work I've been putting in paid off," Fisk said, per the AP. "It's been a frustrating year trying to back up that first win."

Fisk also offered an interesting take on the pressure, telling the AP that playoffs feel a little easier, with fewer nerves, because a great finish is already locked up and there is not much left to lose.

Glover's Sunday Slips Away

Glover led after each of the first three rounds and spent the week as the only major champion in the field, but the 46-year-old could not find the form that produced 63 and 64 to start the week. Glover shot 1-over 71 and finished tied for fifth at 14 under with Davis Chatfield and Kristoffer Ventura, who both shot 66.

"Just too many mistakes," Glover said, per the AP. "I didn't do anything really well today."

Glover pointed to a missed wedge approach and pulled 6-irons on the 12th and 13th, per Field Level Media, swings that were uncharacteristic for a player who had been so precise through two rounds. Wise, playing alongside Glover in the final group, also slipped back with a 69. Silverman's 66 was the best of the near misses.

Further down, defending champion William Mouw tied for 10th at 12 under, the same number as Jackson Koivun, who closed with 67 for a first made cut and top-10 as a professional. Manuel Elvira tied for eighth to lead the DP World Tour contingent.

Validation for Fisk

The win carries real weight. Fisk earns a spot in next year's PGA Championship, though not a Masters invitation, and climbs to a career-high 79th in the Official World Golf Ranking, per the DP World Tour, which co-sanctioned the event. It is also Fisk's first DP World Tour title, in only a fourth start on that tour.

More than the perks, though, it answers a question. Fisk's breakthrough at the Sanderson Farms Championship last October came with a Sunday birdie barrage that seemed to come from nowhere. Asked what made this one special, Fisk kept the answer short.

"Validation, probably," Fisk said, per the DP World Tour. "Sanderson Farms last fall was kind of out of nowhere."

Pendrith, meanwhile, left Louisville disappointed but encouraged. "Obviously, it's quite disappointing, but a ton of positives this week," Pendrith said, per the AP.

From a four-way tie at 63 on Thursday, through Glover's bogey-free Friday and one-shot lead on Saturday, this week never stopped shifting. In the end, the player who refused to give back a shot in the playoff walked away with the trophy, and with proof that the first win was no fluke.

Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's final-round recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (final-round recap and leaderboard), AP, Field Level Media, AFP, DP World Tour, Golf Today. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.