Mickelson wins playoff in Mexico, ends long drought

MEXICO CITY » Phil Mickelson ended the longest drought of his career with a playoff victory Sunday over Justin Thomas in the Mexico Championship, capping off a final round of lustrous cheers in thin air that included Thomas holing a wedge for eagle on the final hole of regulation.

Mickelson, who closed with a 5-under 66, won for the first time since the 2013 British Open at Muirfield, a stretch of 101 tournaments worldwide.

“I can’t put into words how much this means to me,” Mickelson said. “I knew it was going to be soon — I’ve been playing too well for it not to be. But you just never know until it happens.”

Thomas was coming off a playoff victory at the Honda Classic last week, and he delivered the biggest moment at Chapultepec Golf Club. Tied for the lead, his shot to the 18th from 119 yards landed in front of the pin and spun back into the hole for an eagle and a 64. Mickelson, who turns 48 in June, responded with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th and a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th to tie Thomas.

Tyrrell Hatton, playing in the final group with Mickelson, was stride for stride. He capped off a 3-3-3-3 stretch on the back nine with an eagle at the 15th. But on the final hole, Hatton missed the green to the right, chipped 10 feet by and missed the par putt for a 67 to fall out of a playoff. LPGA TOUR » Michelle Wie made a 36-foot birdie putt from just off the 18th green to win the HSBC Women’s World Championship and capture her first title since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

Wie closed with a 7-under 65, and then had to wait to see if it would stand at Sentosa Golf Club.

Nelly Korda, the 54-hole leader whose older sister won last week in Thailand, had an 8-foot birdie chance on the final hole to force a playoff. She failed to make birdie over the final eight holes and closed with a 71. Danielle Kang had a longer birdie chance on the 18th and missed.

They finished one shot behind, along with Jenny Shin (65) and Brooke Henderson (67).

Wie, who started the final round five shots behind, finished at 17-under 271 and won for the fifth time in her LPGA Tour career. A year ago, the 28-year-old from Hawaii had the 54-hole lead in Singapore until fading on the last day. PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS » Steve Stricker finally hit the 18th fairway on Omni Tucson National’s Catalina Course — and has his first PGA Tour Champions victory to show for it.

Stricker came through in the Cologuard Classic a year after hitting left into the water on 18 to blow a chance for a victory in his senior debut, and a day after another 3-wood drive rolled into the water in a closing double bogey.

The 12-time PGA Tour winner birdied the par-5 15th and closed with three pars for a 4-under 69, hitting another 3-wood on the par-4 18th. He finished two strokes ahead of fellow Madison, Wisconsin, player Jerry Kelly (65), Gene Sauers (70) and Scott Dunlap (71).

The 51-year-old Stricker finished at 14-under 205 after opening with rounds of 6 and 70. EUROPEAN TOUR » George Coetzee closed with a 4-under 67 for a two-shot victory over Sam Horsfield of England in the Tshwane Open.

It was the South African’s first victory in two years.