Lee Westwood wins $1m Memphis play-off

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE

Worksop's Lee Westwood has played golf long enough to be philosophical despite all the times he's come up short when so very close to victory. The Englishman, who finished second at the Masters, lost a play-off in Dubai and finished tied for fourth at The Players Championship this year, today won the St. Jude Classic for his second career US PGA Tour victory and first since 1998, beating Swede Robert Karlsson on the fourth hole of a three-man sudden-death play-off at TPC Southwind, Memphis in Tennessee. 

"You try to do the right thing all the time," Westwood said. "It doesn't always work for you. I've been in contention a lot, especially this year, and I suppose I got a break today with other people's misfortune but made the most of it and took a chance."

He became the first European to win the tour's third-longest event only after Robert Garrigus blew a three-stroke lead on the final hole of regulation with a triple bogey. He bogeyed the first play-off hole.

Garrigus said he thought he had a two-stroke lead on the 72nd hole instead of three and called it just stupidity.

"It's little things to win. I've got to learn that, and next time I'm in that position I'm going to do it," Garrigus said.

Westwood and Karlsson went par-par-bogey until they returned to No. 18 once again. Westwood stuck his approach 6 feet from the pin on No. 18. Karlsson left his birdie putt from 43 feet away to extend the play-off about a foot short.

Then Westwood, who went 17 straight holes between birdies, rolled in the 6-footer for his first US PGA Tour win since New Orleans to go with 20 career European Tour victories. He dropped his putter and celebrated with a fist bump.

Westwood started the final round trailing by three strokes, birdied three straight holes to grab the lead. But he bogeyed No. 17 after flying an 8-iron over the green. He was preparing to head off the course when told to stick around behind the 18th green.

He wound up taking home the $1.008 million winner's cheque after the longest sudden-death playoff at Memphis with a 68-270 total.

"It's amazing how things pan out," Westwood said.

The Englishman also becomes the fourth to win in his first visit to Memphis and first since Dicky Pride in 1994. Westwood came in having played well, not missing a cut in his 10 starts on the US Tour this year with four top 10s. He had gone 122 starts on the US Tour since winning 1998 in New Orleans.

Karlsson, who won his ninth European Tour victory at Qatar earlier this year, still is looking for his first American Tour title. He shot a 69, and Garrigus finished with a 71. Karlsson had a chance to win on the third play-off hole with a par putt from 5 feet only to miss.

"I didn't hit a good putt. You can't take any chances with too many good players," Karlsson said.

Local man Shaun Micheel, winner of the 2003 US PGA Championship, shot a 67 and finished tied with Garrett Willis (67) for fourth at 271.

Golfers and fans alike faced another steamy day with the heat index reaching 110. Many golfers and caddies also had maroon ribbons pinned to their caps in a show of support on what could be the final round for an event that first started in 1958 -- unless organisers find a new sponsor by their own deadline of September 15.

Westwood had the lead or a piece of it most of the final round after starting his day with three straight birdies in the first four holes. But he parred out until he bogeyed No. 17 and finished with a 68. With Garrigus up by three, Westwood was ready to leave when told he should stick around the 18th hole.

He did and quickly found himself in a play-off that neither seemed ready to win until they got back to the 18th again.

Westwood hit a 303-yard drive and was 151 yards away from the pin when he hit his approach well inside Karlsson's. When the Swede's putt was short, Westwood ended the play-off and started his celebration.

He had practised his putting after the third round, work that paid off as Westwood birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 4 to take the lead back to himself at 11 under. He rolled in a 30-footer on No. 2, and then he holed out from nearly 34 feet on the par-5 third. He stuck a shot on the par-3 No. 4 from 185 yards within 19 feet and sunk that putt.

Westwood came here on a sponsor's exemption to tune up for the U.S. Open. He wound up getting in some overtime with the extra holes. Now he'll try to become just the eighth player to win a US PGA Tour event and then win the US Open in back-to-back outings.

"I like being competitive before a major championship, to be competitive with the tournament and boost my confidence," Westwood said.

Garrigus, the 32-year-old pro from Scottsdale, Arizona, came into this event 377th in the world rankings and had never led a Tour event on the final day. The inexperience showed on the 72nd hole.

He put his tee shot into the lake lining the 18th fairway, took his drop and yanked his next shot into the trees left of the lake before punching out over the lake. He two-putted for triple bogey to at least make the playoff. Playing that same hole again to start the play-off, Garrigus stayed away from the lake.

His 338-yard drive landed in the pine straw behind a tree, leaving him no choice but to shoot back into the fairway. With Westwood and Karlsson parring the fourth-toughest hole, Garrigus had to hole out a 13-footer for par. The putt went just along the right edge for bogey, knocking him out.

"I know I played better than they all did in the field. It's all right," Garrigus said. "I'm going to go on from this week, and we'll be good.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

Par 280 (4x70)
270 Lee Westwood (Eng) 63 68 71 68 (won at 4th play-off hole), Robert Karlsson (Swe) 67 66 68 69, Robert Garrigus 67 66 66 71
271 Garrett Willis 66 65 73 67, Shaun Micheel 68 66 70 67
272 Heath Slocum 69 67 66 70
273 Billy Mayfair 69 70 68 66
274 Bob Estes 66 69 71 68, Jay Williamson 66 70 69 69, Camilo Villegas (Col) 71 67 69 67, D.J. Trahan 66 68 71 69
275 Ben Crane 67 72 69 67, Zach Johnson 67 69 71 68, Johnson Wagner 69 68 69 69
276 Retief Goosen (Rsa) 72 68 68 68, Jason Dufner 68 67 73 68, Brian Gay 73 67 65 71, Lee Janzen 68 66 70 72, Woody Austin 69 67 69 71, John Rollins 71 69 69 67, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 69 70 69 68, Tim Petrovic 66 68 70 72, Stephen Ames (Can) 70 71 67 68, Josh Teater 66 71 70 69
277 Charley Hoffman 67 65 73 72, Nathan Green (Aus) 73 68 65 71, Kirk Triplett 68 68 71 70, Cameron Percy (Aus) 70 68 67 72
278 Kent Jones 67 73 69 69, David Toms 71 70 72 65, Webb Simpson 70 69 70 69, Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 69 66 72 71, Dicky Pride 69 70 70 69, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 67 68 71 72, Glen Day 68 69 71 70, Brandt Snedeker 70 70 67 71
279 D.A. Points 74 66 68 71, Spencer Levin 72 68 69 70, Mathew Goggin (Aus) 69 69 69 72, Vaughn Taylor 68 69 72 70, Dean Wilson 67 72 71 69, John Senden (Aus) 66 70 73 70, Gary Woodland 70 71 68 70
280 Charles Warren 72 69 69 70, Joe Durant 71 70 68 71, Mathias Gronberg (Swe) 69 72 68 71, Jonathan Byrd 69 69 72 70, Charles Howell III 67 72 71 70, Rich Barcelo 68 68 74 70
281 Omar Uresti 70 70 73 68, Brett Wetterich 72 67 69 73, Steve Elkington (Aus) 72 69 70 70
282 John Merrick 69 71 72 70, Jeff Quinney 68 71 71 72, Boo Weekley 69 66 73 74
283 Chris Riley 68 73 72 70, Michael Connell 66 75 70 72, Padraig Harrington (Irl) 65 74 71 73
284 Will MacKenzie 70 69 69 76, J.B. Holmes 72 68 73 71
285 Chris DiMarco 70 69 70 76, Michael Clark II 71 66 69 79, Nicholas Thompson 68 73 70 74
286 John Daly 71 70 72 73
287 Chris Rogers 69 70 73 75, Roger Tambellini 68 72 73 74
289 Jeff Maggert 68 71 69 81, Alex Cejka (Ger) 68 73 70 78
291 Justin Bolli 68 73 72 78
292 Casey Wittenberg 64 74 73 81
293 Chad Campbell 70 70 71 82