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Damron gains first win in playoff

Robert Damron rolled in a 18-foot birdie putt at the fourth extra hole to outlast Scott Verplank for the title at the Byron Nelson Classic on Sunday. The victory was Damron's first in five seasons on the PGA Tour.

Verplank, who claimed two of his three career wins in sudden death, missed a putt of similar length at the par-three 17th that would have extended the playoff.

Damron, who shot a bogey-free 66 to finish regulation tied with Verplank at 17-under-par 263, narrowly missed on a trio of birdie putts at the first three holes of the playoff. Verplank, bidding to become the first Dallas-born player to win the hometown tournament, couldn't find the cup with his first three birdie attempts, then lost when he pushed his final putt well right of the hole.

"I am pretty proud," said Damron, who earned the winner's check for $810,000, more than he made in any one season on the PGA Tour. "It really hasn't soaked in yet. It's been such a long day and played so many golf holes. It's so up and down in the playoff because when I miss I just know he's going to make, and then when he doesn't make it's just like it breathes new life into you."

Damron, tied for the overnight lead with Verplank at 13-under, got lost in the shuffle during a final round that saw former Byron Nelson winners Tiger Woods and Nick Price hold the top spot at times on Sunday.

But Woods, six off the pace at the start, finished well before the leaders at 14-under 266 and was passed while he had lunch in the clubhouse. He shot a gutty 63, the same score he closed with to finish one shot out of the playoff last year.

Woods wound up tied for third with David Duval, who had a 67, and Price, who failed to birdie the par-five 16th and bogeyed the 17th to drop from a share of the lead.

Price, who captured this event in 1991, also shot 67.

Damron joined Price at 15-under with his second birdie of the day at the 13th. But Price, playing several groups ahead, watched his shot to the water-fronted 17th get hung up in the wind and barely clear the hazard. He stubbed his chip from the rough and missed his putt from just off the green to save par.

Damron wasn't alone for long as Verplank, Damron's playing partner, chipped in for birdie at the 15th for his share of the lead.

Verplank was one of the few players to reach the green in two at the 16th. Damron tried to match the feat but his second shot with a three-wood dropped into a bunker, 75 feet from the hole. Then suddenly Damron had the advantage, as his blast out of the sand stopped three feet from the hole to set up a birdie. Verplank's long putt for eagle was never on line and left him with 15 feet to match Damron, but he stepped up and sank the putt to tie for the lead at 16-under par.

Damron retook the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt at the 17th, where Verplank missed a 10-footer that stopped on the lip. Verplank need a birdie at 18 to force a playoff, and he responded with a 186-yard five-iron to eight feet. After Damron missed his birdie try from the back edge of the green, Verplank drained his putt for a chance to settle things in extra holes.

This marked the third straight year and the 17th time in tournament history that the winner was decided in a playoff. Damron, whose previous best finish was third, moved to 1-0 in playoffs, while Verplank fell to 2-2 in the extra session.

Verplank ended 12-year, 27-day drought with a win at last year's Reno-Tahoe Open after a four-hole playoff with Jean Van de Velde. He captured his first title as an amateur, beating Jim Thorpe in extra holes at the 1985 Western Open. His only win in regulation came at the 1988 Buick Open.

Woods, in pursuit of his fourth straight victory of the year, looked to be out of the running after making only one birdie through the first five holes Sunday. But he reeled off three straight birdies from the sixth before saving par with a fine chip just ahead of the turn.

Woods birdied 10, 11 and 12 to make it six in a seven-hole stretch, but dropped a shot at 14 when he missed a 10-footer for par. He capped his scoring with a birdie at the 16th, his first birdie at the par-five hole in three trips around the TPC at Las Colinas.

"It's been a lot of fun competing again," said Woods, who was playing in his first tournament since winning the Masters over a month ago. "I've missed it. That's one of the reasons why I have the enthusiasm I do, because I don't play that often, so therefore when I do play, no matter what tournament it is, whether it's a major or a regular tour event, I'm going to be in it."

Woods is heading to Germany to play in the European Tour's Deutsche Bank - SAP Open, a tournament he won in 1999. He will return to the PGA Tour to defend his title at the Memorial, and two weeks later will chase his fifth straight win in a major at the U.S. Open at Southern Hills.

Justin Leonard, who tied the TPC course record with a 61 on Saturday, carded a 69 to finish at 13-under 267 with Brian Watts, who shot a final-round 68.

Sergio Garcia, David Peoples and Kenny Perry rounded out the top-10 at minus-12.

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