Russell Henley drains four straight birdies to snatch Charles Schwab Challenge victory

The American looked out of contention entering the closing stretch but reeled off four consecutive birdies to snatch victory.

Henley ignited his comeback with a 15-foot putt at the par-three 16th, followed by another birdie from a similar distance at the 17th. He then rolled in a birdie putt from just under 17 feet at the 18th to draw level with Cole and force a playoff.

Returning to the 18th for the sudden-death decider, Henley delivered once again, firing his approach to within five feet of the flag. After Cole's birdie attempt from 13 feet slid past the hole, Henley calmly converted his short putt to seal the title and complete a dramatic finish.

"Felt like I was hitting good putts most of the day and they just went in at the end," Henley said.

"Then to come back to the playoff and do that, I'm still kind of shaking. That was as nervous as I've been over a putt in my whole life."

Henley, who finished tied for third at the Masters in April, claimed the sixth PGA Tour title of his career and his first since winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2025.

"I just kept telling myself, 'I want to win,'" Henley said. "I want to be hitting these putts and be in contention. This is why I practice hard.

"I feel like I've worked harder and harder and just been a little off mentally this year. Just fought really hard until the end. It felt good to see an awesome result."

Defending champion Ben Griffin finished in a three-way tie for third alongside fellow Americans Alex Smalley and Mac Meissner on 11-under-par 269. One shot further back, a group of four players shared sixth place on 10-under 270, including reigning US Open champion J.J. Spaun, Americans Gary Woodland and Michael Brennan, and Colombia's Nicolás Echavarría.