Steven Fisk earns hard-fought first victory at Sanderson Farms Championship with late father on mind
Steven Fisk makes closing birdie to win Sanderson Farms
Written by Adam Stanley
To win on the PGA TOUR, one needs to have plenty of skill, of course. But most weeks, there needs to be a little luck involved, too.
And perhaps some divine intervention.
Steven Fisk fired an incredible 8-under 64 Sunday at the Sanderson Farms Championship, including four birdies in his last five holes and three in a row to close out his day. In the process, he became the fourth rookie to win on the PGA TOUR this season, along with William Mouw (ISCO Championship), Aldrich Potgieter (Rocket Classic) and Karl Vilips (Puerto Rico Open).
Fisk, though, lost his father Christopher earlier this year at just 59 after a battle with cancer. And his caddie is Jay Green, who was on the bag for the late Grayson Murray when Murray won the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2024.
The Sunday round in Mississippi was tremendous – but Fisk said he couldn’t have done it alone, especially with his dad watching over things.
“I think he nudged a couple putts in for me for sure, maybe him or Grayson. I had a couple of helpers out there,” Fisk said. “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 kind of go about my business the best way I know how.”
Steven Fisk’s interview after winning the Sanderson Farms
Fisk was born in Atlanta and grew up in nearby Stockbridge, Georgia. Christopher Fisk and another family from the area built – and still operate now – Rum Creek Golf Course, a par-3 course and driving range, where the now TOUR winner used to hone his game as a youngster.
The wee track opened when Fisk was about 4 or 5 years old, and he played the course four, five or even six times a day in his youth – earning calluses on his hands that were perhaps more appropriate for those who lay bricks than those who roll birdies.
“I think I had a golf course as a playground my whole childhood,” Fisk said Sunday. “All those greens were pushed up, and they were really small and … truly, I think it made me into the iron player that I am today.
“It's a special place, and it will always be cool that it led to this.”
This marked Fisk’s second top 10 of the season after a T4 at the Puerto Rico Open, and he entered the week No. 135 on the FedExCup Fall standings. A win takes care of everything.
“Obviously, with the position I was in on the FedExCup points list I had a lot of ground to make up,” Fisk said. “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 came down to the wire Sunday between Fisk and Garrick Higgo, who were battling through most of the finale. Higgo opened the door with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11, but he got those back and then some, however, making four birdies in a row on Nos. 13-16.
Higgo missed a 3-footer on the penultimate hole, though, while Fisk hit his approach to just two feet on No. 17 and made the go-ahead birdie, which turned out to be the difference.
Steven Fisk hits 102-yard approach to 3 feet, sets up birdie on No. 17 at Sanderson Farms
“Garrick was playing so well today, especially down the stretch. I told him (Green) we needed another birdie to try to close this thing out,” Fisk said. “The way Garrick was playing there coming down the stretch, he wasn't going away.
“Based on the scores earlier this week, I didn't have a target score in mind today, but … I knew it was going to require more birdies than anything else. Just trying to make as many as I possibly could because I knew I'd need them at the end.”
Fisk said the difference for him this week was on the greens as he ended up tied for 13th in Strokes Gained: Putting, taking advantage of being first in the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green. Fisk is 160th in SG: Putting for the season, and he credited a little reading for the difference this week.
Fisk said that to help with his struggles with the flatstick in 2025, his sports psychologist said Fisk should read "Putting Out of Your Mind" by Dr. Bob Rotella. Fisk downloaded the audiobook on Friday and said it helped him focus on the things he needed.
“It was chapter two or three – just being 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,” Fisk said.
He rolled the rock, he tilted the trophy, and he had plenty of support from his late father looking down on him.
“I’d like to think,” Fisk said, “that he knew this day would happen.”
