LAS VEGAS | A playoff is a crapshoot on the
PGA Tour, and the Vegas odds against Jona-
than Byrd’s feat are astronomical. Byrd won
the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for
Children Open with a hole-in-one on the fourth
playoff hole in near darkness.
Byrd won his fourth
PGA Tour event with
the victory in a
three-man play-
off with defending
champion Martin
Laird of Scotland
and Cameron Percy
of Australia.
Byrd hit 6-iron
to the par- 3, 204-yard
17th at TPC Summerlin
for his closing ace. “I hit
it perfect,” he said in a
masterful understate-
ment.
Each of the
contestants in the
playoff finished 72
holes at 21-under-
par 263. Byrd shot a
final-round, 3-under
68, which included
three birdies in a
row on the back nine,
starting at the driv-
able par- 4 15th. He
started with rounds of
66-63-66 on the way
to his first Tour victory
All three players survived the first three
holes of the playoff, all making pars. After fin-
ishing the third playoff hole, PGA Tour officials
asked the players if they wanted to continue
one more hole or come back on Monday. All
three voted to continue. Byrd was first to hit
from the tee and the ace locked up the title.
Laird, trying to defend his title, held the
third-round lead and posted rounds of 69-62-
63-69 for his 21-under total. It was his second
playoff loss of the year, also having lost in extra
holes to Matt Kuchar at The Barclays.
Percy needed to win to secure his playing priv-
ileges for next year. He was projected to be 144th
on the PGA Tour money list after his second-place
tie. Percy shot rounds of 66, 68, 62 and 67.
For a time, it was Webb Simpson’s tourna-
ment to lose and lose it he did. With four birdies
in a five-hole stretch beginning at the par- 4 12th,
Simpson got to 22 under and held a two-shot
lead on the tee at the par- 3 17th. He pull-hooked
his tee shot into the water on the left and the re-
sulting double-bogey knocked him from the lead
and ultimately cost him the tournament.
Simpson, a second-year Tour player still
looking for his first victory, had a chance to get
into the playoff but lipped out his birdie putt on
the 18th. He did, however, lock up his playing
privileges for 2011, finishing well inside the
top 125 on the Tour money list. Simpson shot a
final-round, 3-under 68 to finish tied for fourth
at 20 under with Spencer Levin, who shot a
final-round 66 to ensure his finish inside the
top 125. RESULTS
Staff and Wire Reports
The Pennsylvania Golf Association
congratulates Nathan Smith
on his third
U. S. Mid-Amateur Championship
With his victory at the Atlantic Golf Club,
Smith became the second three time winner
in the 30 year history of the championship and
the second player to win in consecutive years.
