China’s Zecheng Dou came up short in his bid for a third Korn Ferry Tour title last week, losing on the second hole of sudden death to first-time winner Brandon Harkins at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club.
The 25-year-old Dou held a one-stroke lead heading into the final round, but made bogey on two of his last three holes to card a 3-under 69 and fall into a tie with Harkins at the end of regulation at 18-under 270. After both making par on the first playoff hole, Dou hit two shots into the penalty area on the second extra hole and could not save par. “When you get to that point -- two-stroke lead with three to play … losing it, it’s a little different than talking about going after the win,” said Dou, who last won in 2019 at the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. “When you’ve already had one hand on the trophy, it is pretty tough. But it’s just one tournament. It’s nothing big; that makes me feel it’s fine. It’s only the second week of the year, and I feel like I’ve got a lot of time. It was a good run.” Dou was a PGA Tour rookie in the 2017-18 season, but made just four cuts and did not maintain his card. Last season, he made 25 cuts in 37 starts during the KFT wrap-around season with five top 10s including a T-2 at the Pinnacle Bank Championship in October.