Frank Lickliter sank a 12-foot par-putt on the final hole to avoid a third consecutive bogey and win his first PGA title yesterday at the finish of the rain-halted Kemper Open.

Lickliter fired a final-round three-under-par 68 to finish at 16-under-par 268, one stroke ahead of fellow American JJ Henry and four better than Phil Mickelson, Spike McRoy and Australian Bradley Hughes.

"I just wanted to make it a little dramatic at the end," said Lickliter, who nearly backed up into a playoff long after Henry had been in the clubhouse.

Thunderstorms halted play on Sunday with Lickliter having just finished the front nine and sharing the lead at 16-under with Henry, who took a bogey to finish with a final-round 66 and the clubhouse lead.

"There's no doubt I was a little nervous being in position to win for the first time," Henry said. "I'm definitely going to take a lot of positives away from this."