Wes Short Jr beats Jim Furyk in playoff

Wes Short Jr. had a simple strategy for the second playoff hole against Jim Furyk.

``I knew if I kept it on land, I was going to have a chance to win the tournament,'' Short said Sunday after capturing the Michelin Championship on the second extra hole for his first PGA Tour victory.

After Furyk's tee shot on the par-3 17th plopped into the lake, Short followed with a shot that stayed dry, although it rolled into a bunker.

Furyk, trying for his fourth Las Vegas victory, hit his third shot 12 feet from the hole, but Short nestled his shot from the sand within a foot of the cup and tapped in for a winning par.

``Right now, I don't have any emotions,'' said Short, who joined the tour last year as a 40-year old rookie. ``I thought when I first won, I'd be jumping to the moon. But it's like it hasn't sunk in yet.''

Short was coming off a tie for 13th at Greensboro, his best finish before this week. The Las Vegas victory was worth $720,000.

Furyk three-putted No. 18 for a bogey in regulation, and Short birdied the hole.

Both parred the first extra hole, then Furyk, who has won only one of six playoffs in his tour career, pulled his tee shot and the ball sailed into the water.

Short closed with a 6-under 66 and Furyk had a 65 for 21-under 266 totals for three rounds at the TPC at Summerlin and one on the TPC at The Canyons.

Furyk won the tournament in 1995, 1998 and 1999. He earned $432,000 for finishing second this time.

``I'm obviously disappointed. It was my tournament to win again, and I didn't get it done on the last hole,'' Furyk said, referring to the final hole of regulation.

He had another chance on the first playoff hole, but his birdie try from 12 feet stayed left of the cup.

Saying he enjoys playing at Summerlin, Furyk said, ``You can make a lot of birdies, but there are a lot of disasters waiting to happen.''

Such as the lake at No. 17.

``I was definitely outside the plane and over the top with my swing. It never had a shot,'' Furyk said.

Kevin Stadler, tied for fifth at 15 under heading into the third round, was disqualified after reporting on the first hole that that he had an illegal club -- a wedge with a bent shaft -- in his bag.

PGA Tour rules official Slugger White made the ruling after carefully checking the rules to make sure that Stadler had to be disqualified. The golfer was walking down the eighth fairway when the ruling was made official.

Stadler, striding briskly from the clubhouse to the parking lot, obviously was upset.

``I looked down on the first hole and noticed it,'' he said.

Asked how the club might have gotten bent, Stadler said, ``I have no idea.''

Third-round leader Ted Purdy shot a 71 that left him in a third-place tie with Harrison Frazar (69) at 19 under.

Purdy, who had fallen two shots behind Furyk, pulled within one before his tee shot on No. 17 hit a sprinkler head on the bank next to the green and bounced into the water. He finished with a triple bogey.

``I took out a 5-iron and I was trying to draw it into the pin to make a birdie. I drew it too much and it went into the water. In hindsight, it was a pretty dumb thing to do, but I was trying to make a birdie,'' Purdy said.

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