Perry prevails in playoff

Posted February 01, 2009 10:00 pm

Associated Press

Kenny Perry finally finished off Charley Hoffman in a playoff, making a 22-foot birdie putt on the third extra hole Sunday to win the FBR Open at Scottsdale, Ariz.

After Perry bogeyed the final hole of regulation to set up the playoff, the two bogeyed and parred the first two extra holes. Perry rolled in the putt on the 332-yard, par-4 17th to end the second straight playoff in the event.

Perry closed with a 2-under 69 to match Hoffman (67) at 14-under 270 at TPC Scottsdale. It was the 13th PGA Tour victory for Perry, the 48-year-old from Kentucky who won three times last year and played on the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team.

"The playoff was ugly," Perry said. "We were hitting it everywhere, having to scramble from all over the place."

Kevin Na (68) finished third at 13 under. Na rallied from 6 strokes back, but he barely missed an 8-foot putt on the 18th hole that would have put him in the playoff.

Perry blew a chance to win it in regulation. Leading by a stroke, all Perry needed was a par on the 18th, a hole he birdied twice and parred once this week. But he drove into a fairway bunker and settled for a bogey 5.

Dubai Desert Classic: Nineteen-year-old Rory McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic by 1 shot to earn his first European Tour title. The 19-year-old finished with a 19-under-par 269 to edge Justin Rose.