Phil Mickelson made a 4m birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole Monday to win the BellSouth Classic over Rich Beem and give the defending US Masters champion momentum heading to Augusta.
Brandt Jobe and Arjun Atwal were eliminated on the first playoff hole and Jose Maria Olazabal was out after the third playoff hole.
"There were probably six to 10 people who could have won this tournament. I don't know how I dodged the bullet," said Mickelson.
Mickelson won it on the par 4, 414m 17th hole when he hit his drive in the fairway and put his second shot 20 feet from the hole before sinking the putt.
Beem, who hasn't won since the US PGA Championship in 2002, hit into a fairway bunker on the final playoff hole. His second shot was about 18m short of the green where he pitched to about 2 feet, setting up a par putt which wasn't needed.
Olazabal, the two-time Masters champion, had a chance to win on the par 5, 524m 18th in regulation to avoid a playoff, but missed a 2m birdie putt and settled for par and 69.
He also had a second chance to win on the first playoff hole, missing another 5-foot birdie putt on No. 18. He was eliminated on the third playoff hole when he hit two balls in the water on 18.
"I had a chance to win it [in regulation] and didn't. Had a second chance and missed it," said Olazabal, who also heads to the Masters with his game in pretty good shape.
Mickelson (69), Beem (68), Brandt (67) and Arjun Atwal (64), a native of India and a regular on the Asian tour for eight years, each birdied their last hole to earn a playoff berth along with Olazabal.
Mickelson and Beem had pars on the first playoff hole to advance to the second playoff hole along with Olazabal. Brandt and Atwal each hit into the water that guarded the green on 18, shot over par and were eliminated.
Olazabal, Mickelson and Beem each parred the second playoff hole (No. 17) to send it back to 18.
Mickelson and Beem advanced to the fourth playoff hole when each had tap-in birdies on No. 18.
With the weather sunny and warm, the scores came down Monday after the first two rounds were washed out by rain on Thursday and Friday and delayed 99 minutes on Saturday at the TPC at Sugar Loaf.
Scott McCarron, who led by a stroke entering the final round and the 1997 and 2001 winner here, shot a 76 and was well back at 214. Defending champion Zach Johnson had a 72 and was at 213.
Frank Lickliter (68), Scott Dunlap (69), Arron Oberholser (69), and Tag Ridings (69) finished a stroke behind the leaders at 209. Lickliter was at 8 under playing the 18th when he went for the green and found the water.
Mickelson, the tour's leading money-winner, earned US$900,000 of the US$5 million purse.
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