Kizzire emerges in Sony Open playoff
Hahn’s 8-foot putt on sixth extra hole hits lip, spins away
HONOLULU — Patton Kizzire figured he was in for a long day when his putting stroke wasn’t up to his standards.
He just wasn’t expecting the Sony Open to go this long.
The longest playoff in more than five years on the PGA Tour ended Sunday when Kizzire two-putted for par from just off the green on the par-3 17th hole, and James Hahn’s 8-foot putt to keep it going caught the right edge of the lip and spun away.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Kizzire said. “I was able to get it done.”
Kizzire, who closed with a 2-under-par 68, became the first multiple winner on the PGA Tour this season. He went head-to-head with Rickie Fowler and beat him by one shot in the OHL Classic in Mexico last fall for his first PGA Tour title.
He was in a four-man battle on the back nine at Waialae that was whittled down to Kizzire and Hahn, who closed with a 62 to match him at 17-under 273.
And the fun was just getting started.
Kizzire had to watch three times as Hahn had a putt to win, two of those putts from 6 feet and 10 feet on the par-5 18th hole.
Kizzire had two putts to win, though both were in the 30-foot range.
“That playoff was quite a marathon,” Kizzire said.
Hahn has won both of his PGA Tour title in playoffs, at Riviera and Quail Hollow. Closing with a 62 to even have a chance was no consolation.
■ At Johannesburg, Chris Paisley of England closed with a 6-under 66 for a 21-under 267 total and a three-shot win over home favorite Branden Grace in the South African Open.
Leading by one entering the final round, Paisley didn’t drop a shot Sunday en route to his first European Tour victory.
■ At Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Europe retained the Eurasia Cup after a sensational showing in singles for a 14-10 victory.
Asia had a slim margin until Europe won eight of the 12 singles matches and halved another. Europe won seven of the opening eight matches.
■ At Orlando, Fla., Scott Parel beat Scott Dunlap on the first hole of a playoff to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the Diamond Resorts Invitational.
European PGA: Asian: Champions: