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Kuchar wins playoff on sixth hole to grab his second PGA title

Matt Kuchar won a darkness-halted playoff over fellow American Vaughan Taylor with a par on the sixth playoff hole to capture the PGA Turning Stone Resort Championship yesterday.

Taylor found the water off the tee at the par-four 13th and missed a six-foot bogey putt to take the pressure off Kuchar, who had missed two earlier chances to win the playoff but sank a three-foot par putt for the title.

“To battle so hard was pretty special,” Kuchar said. “There’s nothing better than coming out on top after a week of golf. It feels great. To be able to come out on top is really special.”

After remaining deadlocked through two sudden-death holes on Sunday, Kuchar and Taylor returned yesterday morning to cool, wet and breezy conditions and battled through four more extra holes before Kuchar won his first title since 2002.

“It’s hard to believe it has been since 2002. The game of golf can just reach out and beat you up,” Kuchar said.

Kuchar, the 1997 US Amateur champion, won his only prior PGA title at the 2002 Honda Classic. He took home a US$1.08 million top prize as well as a two-year USPGA Tour exemption from the tournament.

Taylor missed out on what would have been a third career PGA crown after titles at the 2004 and 2005 Reno-Tahoe Opens. Taylor won his first title in a playoff, the only one either had previously faced at a PGA event.

In the longest USPGA playoff since the 2004 Heritage Classic, Kuchar put himself within reach of playing the Masters for the first time since 2002 by jumping from 59th to 25th on the money list with four events to play.

The season-ending top 30 will receive invitations to next year’s Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Taylor’s Georgia hometown.

The event, which used “lift, clean and place” rules due to wet conditions, was the first of five final PGA events that many golfers use to secure playing rights for next year by finishing among the top 125 money winners.

Taylor improved from 131st to 72nd on the money list with his runner-up effort, likely sealing his status for next year.

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