Els' spectacular putt secures second successive US Tour title
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Your support makes all the difference.The Open champion Ernie Els became the first player in 14 years to win the first two events of the US PGA Tour season when he beat Aaron Baddeley with an improbable birdie on the second play-off hole in the Sony Open here in Hawaii.
The South African rolled in a 55-foot putt from off the 10th green before Baddeley narrowly missed his 20-foot birdie attempt. The pair had both birdied the par-five 18th to prolong the play-off. Els, the world No 2, rallied from a two-shot deficit before winning for the second time in as many weeks.
Chris DiMarco was third on 266, while the defending champion, Jerry Kelly, and the Australian Robert Allenby tied for fourth. Stuart Appleby, another Australian, was alone in sixth place on 269.
Els won the season-opening Mercedes Championship at Kapalua last week before claiming the first full-field event of the year. The victory was worth $810,000 (£500,000) to Els, who last Sunday pocketed $1m for winning the Mercedes Championship title.
Both players made birdie putts of seven feet at the first extra hole before moving to the 10th, a 353-yard par four playing downwind. Els, who had driven the hole earlier in the day, missed the green left, while Baddeley hit his tee shot into the same greenside bunker that he had visited in regulation.
The South African hit a chip that went across the green and rested on the fringe, 55 feet from the hole. Baddeley played an indifferent sand shot and faced an uphill 20-footer.
But Els struck a putt that never wavered on its path to the hole. "I was just trying to stay alive and all of a sudden you make the putt and win the tournament," he said. "It's crazy, I was trying to make it but from 55 feet what are your chances really? So, you hit the best putt you can and hope for the best."
SONY OPEN (Honolulu, Hawaii) Leading final scores (US unless stated): 264 E Els (SA) 66 65 66 67; A Baddeley (Aus) 66 64 65 69 (Els won at second play-off hole). 266 C DiMarco 65 66 69 66. 268 R Allenby (Aus) 68 69 65 66; J Kelly 68 68 67 65. 269 S Appleby (Aus) 68 71 67 63. 270 B Baird 68 65 67 70; C Riley 65 69 69 67; J Durant 67 69 67 67; F Funk 66 68 69 67; S Maruyama (Japan) 66 66 69 69. 271 P Lonard 66 65 72 68; D Forsman 68 70 69 64; R Gamez 66 69 65 71. 272 T Petrovic 68 67 68 69; C Howell III 70 66 68 68; C Beckman 69 69 68 66; C Paulson 70 69 68 65; C Pavin 67 68 68 69. 273 P Perez 70 70 69 64; R Goosen (SA) 64 66 72 71; J Gore 70 67 68 68; L Roberts 67 68 70 68; V Singh (Fiji) 67 70 68 68; A Magee 71 65 68 69; D Peoples 71 69 66 67.
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