American Mark Wilson is off to another fast start on the PGA Tour, holding off an abundance of challengers in an extended Sunday to capture the $US5.6 million ($A5.4 million) Humana Challenge tournament in California.
Wilson fired a three-under-par 69 in the final round for a two-stroke victory – his fifth career USPGA Tour win and his third in 13 months.
Wilson had to complete his third round on Sunday morning after strong winds disrupted the tournament the day before. He led by three strokes after the third round and then rolled in four birdies in the fourth to finish at 24-under 264.
Wilson sank a 10-foot birdie putt on 18 with the afternoon light fading quickly on the Palm Springs-area golf course.
“I was amazed,” said Wilson, who played his final eight holes in four-under. “I just hung in there. I didn’t make a lot of 20 footers and then I made that one on 16. I capped it off with a birdie on 18.”
Robert Garrigus, John Mallinger and Johnson Wagner finished two shots back of Wilson, who won two times in the first five weeks last season. All of his five victories have come in the first few months of the season.
Garrigus barely missed a 35-foot eagle putt on the final hole that would have put him in the lead. Wilson then stepped up and clinched the win, making his 10-footer look easy. He played bogey-free golf over his final 15 holes.
Garrigus hurt his chances by making bogey on 17 to fall out of a tie for the lead. He also missed a nine-foot putt for birdie on 18 that would have given him solo second spot.
In order for the pro-am event to finish on time, the third round resumed with professionals only, leaving out the celebrity amateurs such as former US president Bill Clinton who were slated to play through three rounds.
Australian golfing legend Greg Norman, who had completed nine holes with Clinton on Saturday when play was halted, was among the players who withdrew.
Norman, making his first USPGA Tour start since 2009, opened with a 72 and posted a 71 in the second round. He had just double-bogeyed the ninth hole to turn in 38 when play was halted on Saturday.
