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Ponte Vedra Beach : The fairy tale ended for Paul Goydos. It disappeared into the water in front of the 17th green, along with his chance to win The Players.
It was the man with the pedigree, the kid with the expectations, Sergio Garcia, who all day battling high winds and his erratic putting, came through to win the biggest tournament of his career, and the $1.7 million first prize of the $9.5 million purse.
Fiesta time: Sergio Garcia celebrates winning the extra hole
Goydos, the 43-year-old Californian, had been in control most of the last two rounds, but the 28-year-old Garcia caught him when Goydos bogeyed the difficult 18th hole of the TPC Stadium course yesterday and then beat him on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off, when Goydos plonked his wedge shot into the lake of the infamous island hole.
Garcia, who had trailed by as much as three shots on the back nine, then hit a beautiful ball about four feet from the cup, and even if he missed the birdie putt still ended up with the victory when Goydos took a double-bogey five.
Garcia finished second last year to Phil Mickelson and said he feels comfortable on at The Players. He showed it, coming in with a one-under par 71 on the last round for a 72-hole total of five-under 283, while Goydos had a 74 for his 283.
"Sergio played better than anyone this week," said a gracious Goydos, who - 169th in the world rankings - had never received this much attention. Still, if Goydos hadn't come up short on 18, after going into the rough, and had found the green at 17, as he did during regulation, he would have triumphed.
Garcia becomes only the second European in the tournament's 35 years to win The Players, the so-called fifth major. Sandy Lyle of Scotland was the 1987 champion.
Jeff Quinney, with a 70, shot 284, to miss the play-off by a stroke. Mickelson, who had a decent chance to become the first champion to successfully defend his title, collapsed with a 78 which included two double bogeys and finished with 292 for a tie for 21st.
Other scores included Ian Poulter (76) 292; Luke Donald, (72) 293; David Toms (71) 294; Aaron Baddley (71) 294; Miguel Angel Jimenez (74) 294; Anthony Kim (76) 295; Retief Goosewn (72) 296; Jose Maria Olazabal (72) 297; Chris DiMarco (75) 297.
Goydos had won only two tournaments in 16 years on Tour, in 1996 and then 11 years later the 2007 Sony Hawaiian Open.
Instead of a golf manufacturer's name his hat has the letters "LB" for Long Beach State, from which in 1988 he earned a degree in finance.
He became a cult hero serving as the primary subject of John Feinstein's 1996 book about the Tour, A Long Walk Spoiled, conceding people he has never met "still follow me because of that, yelling my name, but I have no idea who they are.
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