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Rollins wins title in playoff

John Rollins birdied the first playoff hole Sunday to defeat Rod Pampling at the Buy.com Hershey Open. The duo finished 72 holes tied at 11-under 203, which matched the tournament record originally set by Michael Clark in 1998.

Kelly Grunewald (67) and Brad Klapprott (68) finished tied for third, one shot ahead of Steve Haskins (68), David Gossett (68) and overnight leader Jay Hobby (73), who finished tied for fifth at minus-eight.

Rollins and Pampling returned to the 18th hole at the Country Club of Hershey's East Course to begin their sudden death playoff. Both players hit drivers off the tee that left them with wedges to the green. Rollins and Pampling both reached the green, with Rollins seven feet from the hole.

Pampling missed his birdie effort but secured par, then watched as Rollins rolled in his birdie putt to win for the first time on the Buy.com Tour.

"It's just a great feeling. It's something that I have been working for and hoping for a long time," said Rollins, who pocketed $76,500 for the win. "To finally get it, I just don't know how to put it into words. It's a great feeling."

Pampling put the pressure on Rollins with a course-record-tying 64 on Sunday. He matched Rollins at the top of the leaderboard when he ran home a 25-foot birdie at the par-three 16th.

Pampling then took the lead at the closing hole when he nestled a nine-iron approach three feet from the hole. Rollins needed one birdie down the stretch and got it at the par-four 17th after he stuck an eight-iron one foot from the flag.

"The shot of the tournament for me was the second shot on 17," said Rollins. "I knew for myself that I had to make a birdie or two coming in to win. To hit a shot on 17 in there to about a foot, to hit that shot I think is pretty much the shot of the tournament."

Rollins almost gave the tournament away at 18 when he missed the green with his third, but chipped to two feet for the save.

"I'm definitely happy with the way I played," said Pampling, who earned his fourth top-10 finish this season. "Always happy to shoot a 64 on a tough course. It was good enough to get into the playoff, but, obviously, John birdied the first and it's pretty hard to beat when you are sitting there with par."

Pampling opened with three birdies on his first six holes, including birdies at both par fives. He added a six-foot birdie at nine for a front-side 32.

He birdied 10 and then committed his first mistake of the round at the next when he drove left. His 15-foot birdie at the par-three 13th proved critical because Rollins missed an eight-foot par save a few minutes later.

Pampling's 64 matched Bob Burns' 1998 course record, which has now been equaled four times since, including twice on Saturday by Hobby and Klapprott.

Rollins opened with a pair of birdies, but mixed two birdies and two bogeys the rest of his front nine. He dropped shots at 11 and 14, but got back on track with a six-foot birdie at 14.

Jim McGovern finished alone in eighth after a final-round 68.

Charles Raulerson, Deane Pappas and Matt Sharkey rounded out the top-10 at minus-six.

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