Fisk shows Power the way with impressive maiden win in Mississippi

Sanderson Farms Championship winner, Steven Fisk

Rookie Steven Fisk claimed the kind of victory Seamus Power craves in the FedEx Cup Fall when he closed with a blistering eight under 64 to win the Sanderson Farms Championship and retain his PGA Tour card.

As Power shot 73 to finish tied for 48th and fall to 134th in the race to make the top 100 who will be fully exempt next season, Fisk’s maiden win catapulted him from 135th to 65th at the Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi and gave him an exemption until the end of 2027.

It was a disappointing day for Power, who did not make the field for this week’s $8 million Baycurrent Classic at Yokahama Country Club in Japan, but still has four more chances to make the top 100 or at least the top 125, who will have conditional status.

For Fisk, those worries are now a thing of the past after he enjoyed a magical day with the putter and made nine birdies, including four in his last five holes, to edge out overnight leader Garrick Higgo of South Africa by two shots on 24-under-par.

“I mean, it's job security,” Fisk said of his win. “I think I mentioned in another interview earlier that we all think we're good enough to compete out here and to win, and to come out here today and play like I did, and finally, I truly know that I'm good enough to be a PGA TOUR winner is really cool.”

It was also an emotional day for Fisk’s caddie, Jay Green, who carried the bag for the late Grayson Murray, who took his own life last year.

“It's been great,” said Fisk, who plans to join Green in Raleigh today for the inaugural Grayson Murray Memorial Classic. 

“Jay and the Murray family lost Grayson early last summer, spring, and for him to come and work with me was really cool, because being a PGA TOUR rookie, I felt like I needed an experienced caddie, and we're going to go to his event tomorrow and have a good time.”

Fisk was also in mourning following his father’s passing earlier this year.

“I think he nudged a couple putts in for me for sure, maybe him or Grayson,” Fisk said. “I had a couple of helpers out there.

“I miss him very much, and I know he'd be really proud of how I played all week and especially today to keep my composure and just go about my business the best way I know how.

“I'd like to think that he knew this day would happen.”

Fisk made 144 feet of putts on the final day and credited his success to a suggestion from his sports psychologist and the writings of Dr Bob Rotella.

“I was thinking about this this morning, but I've struggled on the greens this year a lot, and I've been talking to my sports psychologist for a long time about putting,” he explained.

“He wanted me to read, ‘Putting Out of Your Mind’ by Dr Rotella, and I, of course, downloaded the audiobook Friday night this week and listened to a little bit of it.

“I don't know, it just helped me focus on the right things. It was chapter 2 or 3, just be really target-oriented and not worry about anything else and just believe that it's going to be a good putt and have a chance to go in.”

Keeping his card is also the goal for Conor Purcell, who joins Tom McKibbin and Ryder Cup hero Shane Lowry in this week’s Open de España at Madrid’s Club de Campo.

Jon Rahm and fellow LIV Golf stars Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed also tee it up.