Patton Kizzire came to California this week and hugged his first tree at the suggestion of his new sports psychologist. Days later, he hugged his wife on the 18th green at Silverado Resort’s North Course as the champion of the Procore Championship, his third career PGA Tour title and first victory since 2018.
“It feels so good,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard and to come out and play like I did and pull away from the field and keep the pedal down and play like I can play, that was so much fun.”
Kizzire closed with a final-round 2-under 70 on Sunday in Napa’s wine country to post a 72-hole total of 20-under 268 and a five-stroke victory over David Lipsky.
Kizzire, 38, had struggled during the FedEx Cup regular season and entered the week at No. 132 in the season-long standings. After missing the cut in his last two starts and enduring a stretch from late January through March in which he missed six consecutive cuts, Kizzire failed to make the playoffs and had a month off at home in Sea Island, Georgia.
“I think what was wrong, you couldn’t see it in the stats,” he said. “I think the consistency comes from a solid mental foundation and allowing yourself to compete. So I’ve been working on that and that’s been a huge boost for me.”
He decided to start working with a new mental coach, a local woman, who took him out of his comfort zone with a different approach to getting in the right frame of mind to make birdies.
Among the things she has introduced into his regimen includes hugging trees, walking bare foot and looking at flowers.
“Not joking. I hugged that tree right there,” he said, pointing to a tree along Silverado Resort’s 16th tee on Friday. He added, “I’ve hugged one tree in my life and that was this morning.”
Whatever works. Kizzire opened with 66 on Thursday, birdied his first hole after hugging that tree and then made pars on the rest of the front nine. He said he didn’t have his best stuff but remained patient.
“That was it,” Kizzire said. “I could have gotten frustrated or talked about a bad shot or worried about why am I not hitting it like I want to or all those different things, but I chose not to do that.”
He carded six birdies on the back nine to shoot 65 on Friday, tacked on a 67 in the third round and never relinquished the lead. It looked as if Lipsky, who birdied two of the first four holes and closed in 71, would mount a fight to win for the first time on Tour, but Kizzire chipped in for eagle at the par-5 fifth and never looked back. Even when he made bogeys at Nos. 9 and 11, Kizzire bounced back with birdies at Nos. 12 and 13. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week, gaining nearly nine strokes on the greens.
Patrick Fishburn, who shot 71, finished alone in third. Ben Silverman shot 71 to tie Mackenzie Hughes (72) for fourth and recorded his best finish of his career.
But this week belonged to Kizzire, who hit the reset button and found the power of positive thinking could be the difference in his career.
“It’s been really cool to just get organized,” he said, “and try to be more playful out there and be unflappable, that’s kind of my word.”