The Heritage 2011: Brandt Snedeker Tops Luke Donald In Playoff

Brandt Snedeker cost Luke Donald the No. 1 ranking in the world on Sunday when he beat the Englishman on the third playoff hole to win The Heritage.

Snedeker parred the third extra hole and Donald didn't go without a fight. Donald's approach buried in a bunker and his sand shot rolled through the green. With Snedeker in with par, Donald's chip to extend the playoff lipped out of the hole, giving Snedeker his second PGA Tour win.

It cost Donald the No. 1 ranking, which he would've earned with a win. Lee Westwood titled in Indonesia early Sunday and will supplant Martin Kaymer atop the world rankings.

"It's hard to put that out of your mind," Donald said. "It was going to be some big rewards if I won today. But I'll try and find the positives from this week and move on to next week."

"I came pretty close, yeah. But I've still got some time on my side," Donald said. "You're constantly moving forward in this game. To be No. 1 would be great, but it's not everything."

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Luke Donald had a chance to keep his dreams of being the world's No. 1 golfer alive — and his putt on the third playoff hole at Hilton Head was just slightly too firm, giving Brandt Snedeker a title at The Heritage and forcing Donald to wait to reign over the golf world.

Snedeker fired a final round 7-under 64 to tie Donald after 18 holes on Sunday — Donald had a chance to win outright with a birdie on his 18th hole, but couldn't — then went birdie-par-par on three playoff holes to earn his first PGA Tour victory since 2007, a year in which he claimed PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors.

Donald entered the final round with a one-shot lead, but could only manage a 1-under 70 in his Sunday round.

Donald had a chance to move to No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings with a victory, but it will instead be Lee Westwood summiting them again. Westwood won the Indonesian Masters, giving him enough points to leap past Martin Kaymer and retake the No. 1 ranking he first claimed in October 2010.

The final round of the 2011 Heritage gets underway on Sunday and one golfer has a shot at the world No. 1 ranking. With Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both faltering as of late, the No. 1 ranking has been up for grabs all year, and Luke Donald is the latest player with a shot to take-over. Donald holds a one-shot lead over Jim Furyk and will take the No. 1 spot, supplanting Martin Kaymer, with a win on Sunday.

Furyk and Donald hold a slim lead over the field and will be paired together in Sunday's final round. Brandon de Jonge and Scott Verplank each sit two shots back of Donald at 9-under. Ricky Barnes, Tommy Gainey and Jason Day are each three-shots back of the lead at 8-under. The full leaderboard can be found at the PGA Tour website.

Here are the final round tee times, listed in reverse order, courtesy of the PGA Tour website. Coverage begins on CBS at 3 p.m. Eastern, running until the final group is off the course around 6 p.m. Eastern.

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Luke Donald's third round one-under 70 at Hilton Head gives him the lead entering Sunday's final round at The Heritage. But it's also got him in great position to claim the title of world's top-ranked golfer.

Donald was solid coming in, with eight pars and one birdie on his back nine, in compiling his 70. He sits at 11-under after three rounds at Hilton Head, one shot clear of defending champion Jim Furyk and two shots ahead of Brendan de Jonge and Scott Verplank.

Donald could move to No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings if he holds on for a victory on Sunday. He would supplant current world No. 1 Martin Kaymer. If Donald doesn't win The Heritage, Kaymer could still lose his perch should Lee Westwood win the Indonesian Masters.

Donald has been one of the world's hottest golfers in 2011, winning the Accenture Match Play and tying for fourth at The Masters.

The second round of The Heritage has passed and Luke Donald holds a one shot lead over the field. Some of the more recognizable names of the PGA Tour occupy the top spots on the leaderboard, including Jim Furyk, Camilo Villegas and Ian Poulter. All sit within striking distance of Donald as 14 players are within four shots of the leader.

Saturday's third round gets underway early on Saturday morning with the first tee time scheduled for 8:25 a.m. The real action begins in the afternoon as the those near the top of the leaderboard begin to tee-off shortly after 1 p.m.

Coverage shifts to CBS for the final two rounds after the Golf Channel handled the broadcasting duties to begin the week. CBS begins its three-hour coverage window at 3 p.m. Eastern, running through 6 p.m., coinciding with the end of the final pairing's round.

Tee times are in reverse order, provided by the PGA Tour website.

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On Friday, play has concluded at the Heritage golf tournament in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Thanks to a masterful second round, Luke Donald stands atop the leaderboard, but last year's champion, Jim Furyk, rallied to come within two shots of the lead.

Donald stands at 10-under for the tournament after a 6-under Round 2, in which he answered a lone bogey with seven birdies. The 33-year-old Englishman, who most recently won the WGC-Accenture event in February, is looking for the fourth PGA Tour win of his career.

Furyk, meanwhile, avoided bogeys entirely and shot 5-under for the day. He now stands at 8-under, in a tie for second with Camilo Villegas, Jason Day, Chad Campbell, and Garrett Willis. Furyk is looking for his first PGA Tour win since the Tour Championship last September.

Here is how the top of the Heritage leaderboard looks after two rounds.

1. Luke Donald (-10)
T2. Camilo Villegas (-8)
T2. Jim Furyk
T2. Jason Day
T2. Chad Campbell
T2. Garrett Willis
T7. Ben Crane (-7)
T7. Ian Poulter
T9. Six tied (-6)

Check back with this StoryStream for tee times and leaderboard updates. You can view the full leaderboard here. And for more on the PGA Tour, check out SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

The first day of the The Heritage is in the book and the leaderboard is a who's who of who. None of the familiar faces on the PGA Tour dot the top of the leaderboard, with Garrett Willis leading the field heading into Friday's second round at 7-under. Chad Campbell, Tim Herron and two others are one shot behind at 6-under in a field that's tightly bunched near the top of the leaderboard.

Camilo Villegas sits two shots back, at 5-under, in a tie for sixth-place with three others. Luke Donald is at 4-under, with Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar and others at 3-under. John Daly also managed to shoot under-par in the first round and sits at 1-under, six shots off the pace. The full leaderboard can be found at the PGA Tour website.

Golfers hit the course bright and early on Friday with tee times beginning at 7:20 a.m. local time. The Golf Channel picks up its coverage of the tournament at 3 p.m. Eastern, running until 6 p.m. Eastern.

Here are the groups heading off the first tee. With John Daly and Kevin Na, of 16 on a par four fame, leading the group out, it's sure to be an exciting day.

And these are the groups heading off the No. 10 tee.

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The 2011 edition of The Heritage tees off early Thursday morning, when John Daly, Jesper Parnevik and Kevin Na get going at 7:20 a.m. 

Full tee times and TV listings are available here.

Unlike last year when only five of the world's top twenty players participated, Thursday's opening round will include a strong line-up of rivals vying to win the tartan jacket awarded to the winner on Sunday.

Defending champion Jim Furyk will tee off at 1:10 p.m. alongside Jason Day and 10th-ranked Matt Kuchar.

Two-time Heritage champion Boo Weekley tees off at 8:50 a.m while World number 3, Luke Donald is set to begin at 8:20 a.m.

Other top contenders include British world number five Graeme McDowell and South African Ernie Els, who both tee off at 8:50 a.m.

Some wonder if this will be the final Heritage as the event has no title sponsor and has no immediate suitors. If so, it looks like it's going to go out with a bang.

Check back with this StoryStream for tournament leaderboard updates. And for more on the PGA Tour, check out SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.