Tommy Armour III wins Pebble Beach
Invitational for second year in a row

Title-holder Tommy Armour III, a grandson of the "Silver Scot," three-time major winner Tommy Armour, holed a birdie putt of some 36ft on the first hole of a three-man play-off against fellow Americans Scott Simpson and Brock MacKenzie to win the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational for the second year in a row in California.
The 49-year-old Armour, twice a winner on the US PGA Tour winner, began the day with a five-stroke lead over Rich Beem. But Armour signed off with a four-over 76 in a round that included two birdies, a double bogey and four bogeys.
That left the door open for Simpson, a former US Open title winner and MacKenzie, a former Nationwide Tour player who does not have US Tour status for 2009, to close the gap.
Simpson finished with a 70 and MacKenzie with a 67.
``I hit some shots that were close to being really good,'' said Armour, who earned $60,000 of the $300,000 purse. ``They just didn't turn out to be that good. But that's part of the inner battle of winning a golf tournament.''
Armour, the first repeat winner in the tournament's 37-year history, ended a four-year winless streak with his Callaway victory in 2007. He last won on the US PGA Tour at the Valero Texas Open in 2003, when he set the US PGA Tour tournament record of 34 under par.
``When the wind picks up at Pebble Beach it's a challenge,'' Armour said. ``It wasn't easy, but then again, winning a golf tournament is never easy.''
Simpson made a 12-foot birdie on the 18th hole to tie at 10 under. Armour missed a 24-foot birdie attempt for the win but made a 4-foot par putt to join the three-way playoff.
``I just wanted a good finish,'' said MacKenzie, a member of the 2003 Walker Cup team. ``I started off really good. I saw that third place was about three shots away and all I wanted then was a good finish.''
Tom Purtzer of the Champions (Seniors) Tour had a final-round 67 and finished alone at 9-under.
Second-year PGA Tour pro Nicholas Thompson (71), 2006 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am winner Arron Oberholser (73), and former US PGA Championship winner Beem (73) finished at 280.
+Tommy Armour, the "Silver Scot," was born in Edinburgh on September 24, 1894 and was educated at Fettes College. He lost the sight of one eye on active service during World War I.
He emigrated to America and won the 1927 US Open, the 1930 US PGA and the 1931 Open at Carnoustie. He retired from tour golf in 1935 and gave lessons. One of his pupils was Olympic athletic Babe Zaharias. He died in New York State on September 11, 1968 at the age of 73.