Garcia grabs glory from Harrington in play-off

Spain’s Sergio Garcia birdied the third sudden-death hole to win the PGA Buick Classic in New York, after Ireland’s Padraig Harrington lipped out a birdie attempt that would have won the title at the first extra hole, the par-five 18th.

Harrington then dropped out with a bogey at the second added hole, reducing the play-off to a duel between Garcia and South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini.

Playing the 18th hole for the third time on the day, Sabbatini missed a 21-foot birdie attempt, but Garcia sank his seven-footer for his fifth career PGA Tour triumph.

“Obviously, it’s a disappointing end,” said Harrington, who is still seeking his first win on the PGA Tour.

Garcia also won last month’s Byron Nelson Championship in a play-off, ending a victory drought of more than two years.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to do pretty well in play-offs, not only here in the US but also around the world,” Garcia said.

“I feel pretty comfortable in them. I don’t know why but I’ve always felt calm and comfortable.”

Garcia pocketed $945,000 (€789,700) to top the $10m mark (€8.4m) in career earnings and, more importantly, he gained some momentum heading into the US Open, which begins on Thursday at Shinnecock Hills.

“It’s great, but even if I would have not won here, I’d still be confident because I’ve been playing well,” he added. “But it definitely helps. Every time you get a win, it’s that much sweeter.”

Sabbatini started the day a shot behind 48-year-old Loren Roberts for the lead.

He overcame bogeys at the second and sixth holes and a double-bogey at the 12th, capping a one-under 70 with a birdie at the par-five 18th.

“I just kind of decided I’m not going to throw the tournament away, I’m going to go out there and play and fight back,” Sabbatini said.

“I started to just kind of try to get a couple shots in the right positions and do it that way and made some crucial putts coming down the stretch.”

Roberts’ quest for his first win in two years met a nightmarish end as he made six bogeys and a double-bogey over the first 13 holes.

He closed with a seven-over 78 and dropped into a seven-way tie for 16th at five under on 279.

Fred Couples, Tom Byrum and Fiji’s Vijay Singh were two strokes off the leaders at 10 under on 274.