Hunter Mahan earned his first PGA Tour victory Sunday, winning the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn., in a playoff a year after finishing second.
Mahan, in his fourth year on tour, sank a 2-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat 40-year-old journeyman Jay Williamson.
Mahan, 25, had just one other top-10 finish this year, tying for fifth at the Shell Houston Open in April. But he plays this tournament well, posting one of his two career second-place finishes.
His 62 on Thursday was one shot off the course record, and his 71 on Friday was his first round out of the 60s in this tournament since he shot a 72 during the third round in 2005.
“After that 62, I felt it almost came out of nowhere,” he said. “I felt like I could play good here, I know I can win.”
He shot a 65 on Sunday. Trailing by a stroke on the final hole, he hit a 144-yard approach to within 7 feet. After Williamson missed a 12-footer for birdie, Mahan put his in the back of the cup, pumping his fist and sending the two back to the 18th tee.
Mahan then hit his 134-yard approach on the first playoff hole within 2 feet.
“I just kept plugging away,” he said. “Jay gave me a little opening on 18 and I’m glad I made it.”
Williamson was just 7 feet away, but pushed it right.
Coming into the weekend, Williamson was seventh on the Nationwide Tour money list and was in the field on a sponsor’s exemption. The second-place finish will be enough to earn Williamson a spot in this week’s Buick Open.
Nick O’Hern shot a 66 to finish at 11-under, good for third place, and Vijay Singh shot a 65 for fourth.
LPGA: Lorena Ochoa erased a three-shot deficit over the last two regulation holes and then beat South Korean rookie In-Kyung Kim in a playoff to win the Wegmans LPGA in Pittsford, N.Y.
The 25-year-old Mexican star closed with a 1-over-par 73 for an 8-under 280 total and won with a par on the second playoff hole. She eagled the par-5 17th and got even on the last hole when Kim (72) missed a 4-foot putt for par.
Champions Tour: Jay Haas shot a final-round 66 to win the Bank of America Championship in Concord, Mass., finishing at 13-under and earning his fourth victory of the year when overnight leader Tom Purtzer collapsed on the back nine.
European Tour: Niclas Fasth (70) of Sweden won the BMW International in Munich by two strokes, shooting a 2-under 70 to hold off veteran Bernhard Langer (67).
