LA QUINTA, California (AP) ― Brian Gay won the Humana Challenge on Sunday for his fourth PGA Tour title, beating Charles Howell III with a birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff.
Gay closed with a 9-under 63 on PGA West’s Arnold Palmer Private Course to match Howell and Swedish rookie David Lingmerth at 25-under 263.
Howell shot a 64, and Lingmerth had a 62. Scott Stallings, five strokes ahead entering the round, bogeyed the final hole for a 70 to miss the playoff by a stroke.
Gay and Howell opened the playoff with birdies on the par-5 18th, and Lingmerth dropped out with a bogey after hitting his approach into the left-side water.
Gay won on the par-4 10th, hitting a perfect drive and putting his 145-yard second shot in good position below the hole. Howell drove into the right rough, hit his second into the back bunker, blasted out to 15 feet and two-putted for bogey.
Donaldson overtakes Rose
ABU DHABI (AP) ― Jamie Donaldson won the Abu Dhabi Championship by one shot Sunday, with Justin Rose narrowly missing a birdie putt on the 18th that would have forced a playoff.
Rose’s 8-foot putt rimmed out of the hole, giving the Welshman his second European Tour victory. He shot a 68 to finish at 14-under 274.
Rose (71) threw his club up in the air in frustration while Donaldson flashed a relieved smile. Rose tied for second with Thorbjorn Olesen (69) of Denmark, who also failed to force a playoff on the 18th when his 15-foot birdie putt rolled past the hole. Olesen, playing with Rose, had putted first.
“It was a tough field, brutal golf course,” said Donaldson, whose win will move him in into the world’s top 30.
It was fifth-ranked Rose’s tournament to lose.
The Englishman had a two-shot lead over Donaldson and Olesen and led all week, hitting greens and making timely putts.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
