Jim Furyk, the man expected to be Tiger Woods' partner in September's Ryder Cup, is up to third in the American points standings after winning the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte.
Furyk, beaten by Vijay Singh at the fourth hole of a play-off last year, beat South African Trevor Immelman at the first extra hole on his return to the event. Immelman, three times a winner on the European tour, was within touching distance of his first US Tour victory when he led by two with five to play and one with one to play.
But he three-putted the final green, sending a 48-foot birdie attempt almost 10 feet past - and Furyk, in rough for two, made an eight-footer to tie and then sank a four-foot par putt to take the title after Immelman bogeyed the hole again.
"It's nice to come out and get it done this time," Furyk said after collecting a cheque for more than a million dollars. "But I've seen enough of the 18th hole now."
He has had to play it five times on the final day the last two years. Retief Goosen was glad to see the back of it as well - a quintuple-bogey nine dropped him from third to 10th and cost him $140,000.
Immelman, who despite a double-bogey six at the 11th would have matched the best round of the day if he had parred the last for a 69, said: "When you come that close you're disappointed to not finish the job. "But it's my best finish on the PGA Tour, and I've got to build on that."
This is his first full season in America, a two-year tour exemption coming with the wild card given to him by Gary Player for last season's Presidents Cup. It was there that Furyk teamed up successfully with Woods - and it will be a shock if Tom Lehman does not put them back together at the K-Club.
Justin Rose missed a chance to improve his hopes of being part of Ian Woosnam's side when he crashed to a closing 80 - his worst round since the 81 he shot when leading the Masters at Augusta two years ago.
Rose had risen to eighth place with birdies at the second and third but finished only 47th. Sergio Garcia remains third in the European standings after another disappointing weekend. The Spaniard has still to break par in the final round in the States this season, and a 73-75 finish this time left him only 38th - along with defending champion Vijay Singh, who signed for an 81 after running up a triple-bogey seven at the last.
In the miserably wet conditions, eight players failed to break 80 - and the only man to beat 70 was 2004 winner Joey Sindelar. Leading European in a tie for 14th was Swede Jesper Parnevik.
