Day, Noren need another day to decide Farmers winner
SAN DIEGO (AP) Jason Day and Alex Noren went 77 holes in the Farmers Insurance Open, and it still wasn't enough to decide a winner.
Day holed a 6-foot birdie putt in the dark on the fifth hole of a sudden-death playoff Sunday. Noren followed with a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole at Torrey Pines. They had no choice but to return Monday morning to decide the longest playoff in the 67-year history of this event.
They each made birdie three times on the par-5 closing hole in the playoff. They made pars on the 16th and 17th holes, with Day having the best chance to end it on the par-3 16th until his 12-foot putt stayed on the right edge.
Ryan Palmer began the playoff with them at 10-under 278. He was eliminated with a par on the 18th on the first extra hole.
Day closed with a 2-under 70. Palmer hit wedge to 2 feet for birdie for a 72 to get into the playoff. Noren had a 12-foot birdie attempt in regulation to avoid the playoff and narrowly missed.
By then, Tiger Woods was long gone.
It was the third playoff in three weeks on the PGA Tour, all of them lasting at least four holes. And while it was entertaining, thousands of fans weren't around to see it. They left after Woods finished his round. In only his second PGA Tour event since August 2015, Woods closed with a 72 and tied for 23rd, seven shots out of the lead.
Woods said it was a mostly positive week, and it was hard to argue considering he was returning from his fourth back surgery. He at least was closer to the fairway in the final round, but hit only three fairways for the third straight day.
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EUROPEAN TOUR
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Li Haotong made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to secure a one-shot victory over Rory McIlroy in the Dubai Desert Classic, making him the first Chinese player to crack the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Li started the final round at Emirates Golf Club with a one-shot lead and closed with a 3-under 69. But it took a bold rally from the 22-year-old from China. He made bogey on the par-5 10th, where McIlroy made birdie for a two-shot lead.
McIlroy failed to birdie the par-5 13th, and Li birdied four of his last six holes to beat the four-time major champion.
McIlroy, who sat out the last three months of 2017, was trying to win for the first time in 17 months. He finished third last week in Abu Dhabi and was runner-up in Dubai, which should move him back into the top 10.
''If someone had told me at the start of the year you'd finish third (in Abu Dhabi) and second in your first two events, I would have said I'd take that,'' said McIlroy. ''But being in the positions I've been in and having two close calls the first couple of weeks of the year, it's a little difficult. The competitor in me is very disappointed right now. I wanted to win. I always want to win, and I just didn't do enough when I needed to.''
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LPGA TOUR
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) - Brittany Lincicome beat darkness - with help from floodlights on the Ocean Club's 18th green - to win the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for the second straight year.
Lincicome birdied the final two holes and four of the last five for a 7-under 65 and a two-stroke victory over Wei-Ling Hsu in the event cut to 54 holes after wind wiped out play most of Friday.
''I knew it was going to be tough and my putter really saved me all day,'' Linciome said. I made a lot of great par saves and birdies coming in.''
Lincicome completed a second-round 67 in the morning, playing nine holes in 3 under, to begin the final round two strokes behind the top-ranked Shanshan Feng.
The 32-year-old Lincicome won her eighth career title. She finished at 12-under 207. Last year, she beat Lexi Thompson in a playoff.
Hsu closed with a 68. Feng had a 71 to tie for third with Amy Yang (70) at 9 under. Thompson (71) was 7 under with Danielle Kang (68), Nelly Korda (69) and Bronte Law (69). Brooke Henderson, the leader Saturday night when play was suspended because of darkness, shot a 72 to finish ninth at 6 under.
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OTHER TOURS
Paul Peterson closed with a 5-under 66 for a two-shot victory in the Myanmar Open on the Asian Tour. Peterson, a 29-year-old American who played at Oregon State, is a European Tour member. He won for the second time in his career.
