Thongchai Jaidee outlasts Justin Leonard in a playoff to win at Pebble Beach
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Thongchai Jaidee won his second PGA Tour Champions title, beating Justin Leonard on the fourth playoff hole in the Pure Insurance Championship on Sunday when Leonard hooked his tee shot into a penalty area abutting the Pacific Ocean on the par-5 18th at Pebble Beach.
Jaidee finished with a two-putt par while Leonard had to play his third shot from the tee box and made a double-bogey 7.
The 53-year-old from Thailand has 19 international wins, including six on the European tour. He picked up his first win on the over-50 tour last year in Wisconsin.
The 51-year-old Leonard, who won the British Open in 1997, has yet to win on the PGA Tour Champions, where he returned to competition after working as a television commentator.
Jaidee closed with a 5-under 67 and Leonard shot 68 to finish at 14-under 202 in the 54-hole event. They each parred the 18th on their first try in the playoff and traded birdies when they played it again. Jaidee got up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the par-3 17th to extend the playoff.
Arjun Atwal (69) was third, three shots back, and Paul Stankowski (70) was fourth at 10 under.
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