Reuters
Monday, July 31

SILVIS, Ill. -- Overcoming near disaster on the 18th hole of regulation, Michael Clark II more than made up for it on the same hole in sudden death Monday for his first PGA Tour victory.

	Michael Clark closes out the tournament Monday with a 12-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole.

Clark sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole to defeat Kirk Triplett and capture Monday's rain-plagued John Deere Classic.

A playoff was needed only after Clark squandered a two-stroke lead with a bogey on the final hole of regulation, while Triplett drained an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to force the playoff.

"I was not mentally prepared for that playoff," said Clark, who drove into the trees on the final hole before two-putting for bogey. "When I heard Triplett knocked it close, I more or less had given him the putt mentally and knew we were going to a playoff."

Both players finished their final round Monday morning after rain on Sunday forced an extra day of play. They entered the playoff tied at 19-under 265.

Clark and Triplett parred the par-4 18th on the first extra hole before extending the playoff to a third hole with birdies on the 158-yard 16th.

After reaching the green in two on the 557-yard 17th, Clark left his eagle attempt short before tapping in for birdie. Triplett managed to force a fourth hole by draining an 18-footer for birdie.

"I had a pretty good idea what the putt was going to do, and I knew if I hit it where I wanted to, it was going to be pretty close to the hole," Triplett said.

The two went back to No. 18, with Clark using a 7-iron to reach the green in two for the second straight hole while Triplett left his second shot just short of the green.

"I was playing to win the golf tournament and you can't get cautious now. You win or you lose," Clark said. "I knew if I caught the 7-iron solid, I thought I could get it to the hole. Fortunately with that being the right club, I got it close for putting."

Triplett chipped to five feet, but watched Clark deny him his second victory of the season as Clark made his winning putt and pumped his fist in celebration.

"It's just an awesome feeling," Clark said. "Somebody just pointed out that I don't have to go to Q-School this year, so that definitely makes life pretty sweet."

Competing in his first full season on the PGA Tour, the 31-year-old Clark also picked up his first career PGA Tour top-10 finish. A four-year Buy.Com Tour veteran, Clark received a first prize of $468,000, more than 3½ times what he had earned the entire season.

Clark, who shot a final-round 67, became the seventh first-time winner on the PGA Tour this season and the 14th player to post his first career victory at this event.

It had been a horrendous season for Clark leading up to this event. He missed the cut in 11 of 17 events, including three of his last four outings.

"There's no question it's a breakthrough mentally," said Clark, who won twice on the Buy.Com Tour. "A couple of times I'm hitting the ball coming down the stretch on Friday and you start thinking about that cut, and it makes things a little bit different. That's where I've been the last six or seven weeks."

Clark hopes this win will propel him to greater success and visibility on the PGA Tour.

"I want to win as many times as possible," he said. "I want more people to know who Mike Clark is instead of everybody this week going, 'Who?' "

Triplett shot 2-over on the front side on Sunday and ended up with a final-round 70 in posting his ninth top-10 finish of the year. He claimed his first PGA Tour win at the Nissan Open in February.

"I didn't play very well (Sunday), so if I had done my work correctly yesterday, I would have been far enough ahead of these guys that they would have been chasing me instead of me chasing them," Triplett said. "He (Clark) makes birdie on 18 to beat me, which I guess is fair since I made birdie on 18 to tie him."

Competing in only his third PGA Tour event, Charles Howell fired a 66 to finish third at 18-under 266. Earlier this year, he led Oklahoma State to the NCAA golf championship and also took top individual honors.

"It was quite a week," said Howell, who set an NCAA record by reaching 23-under for Oklahoma State. "This is more than I had expected this week. I came in here hoping to play my best, but to finish third here is pretty special."

Chris Riley finished two shots off the pace after posting a 67, his fourth straight round in the 60s. Steve Lowery and Shaun Micheel tied for fifth at 16-under 268.