SAN MARTIN, Calif. — Bryce Molder had to wait 132 tournaments before winning for the first time on the PGA Tour. He didn’t mind going an extra six holes Sunday in the Open in the longest playoff of the year.
Molder made a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole — the fourth time he had to play the closing hole in 90 minutes — to outlast Briny Baird in a playoff.
Baird looked like a winner when he chipped in from short of the 17th green for eagle in regulation to take a one-shot lead. In the group ahead of him, Molder rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th to close with a 7-under-par 64, which got him into the playoff at 17-under 267.
Baird, who is 0-for-348 in his 12 years trying to win on tour, shot a 4-under 67. He twice had birdie putts on the 18th in the playoff to win, missing from 8 feet and 12 feet.
Bud Cauley, 21, who turned pro this summer, shot 66 and finished third while Evergreen High School grad Shane Bertsch shot a 64 to tie Ernie Els (68) for fourth and increase his chances at finishing in the top 125 on the money list.
The Associated Press
