Fresno’s Kevin Chappell finishes strong at Masters

Fresno native Kevin Chappell shot a 4-under 68 in Sunday’s final round of the Masters Tournament to finish in the top 10 at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

Chappell, 30, made six birdies Sunday, including three over the final six holes to finish at 3 under for the tournament, tied for seventh overall with Rory McIlroy to earn a payout of $368,500.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia won the tournament, capturing his first major title in a sudden-death playoff against England’s Justin Rose.

Chappell was one of three Americans to finish in the top 10, joined by Matt Kuchar (tied for fourth at 5 under) and Ryan Moore (tied for ninth at 2 under).

Chappell turned heads Saturday, when he eagled No. 7 from 131 yards.

He then tossed the ball to one lucky fan named Jack Mcneely, who posted a photo of it to Twitter.

Chappell – a former Buchanan High and UCLA star – opened the tournament with a 1-under 71 in Thursday’s first round, tied for Russell Henley atop the leaderboard.

He took a slip Friday, shooting 4 over but regained some ground with a 2 under third round Saturday.

It’s one of the best finishes in a major in Chappell’s career, second only to his 2011 performance at the U.S. Open when he finished tied for third.

Chappell did not play in the past four Masters tournaments. In 2012 he finished tied for 44th.

He’ll be back in 2018 at Augusta National, though, qualifying via the tournament’s top 12 rule.

This story was originally published April 9, 2017 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Fresno’s Kevin Chappell finishes strong at Masters."