Associated Press
Sunday, August 27

RENO, Nev. -- Scott Verplank has made it all the way back from the elbow problems that nearly ended his PGA Tour career.

	Verplank

Verplank won for the first time in 12 years Sunday, holing an 8-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole of a playoff with Jean Van de Velde in the Reno-Tahoe Open.

"I'm thrilled," said Verplank, 36, the former Oklahoma State star who won the 1985 Western Open to become the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 31 years.

"I had great promise coming out of college, winning on the PGA Tour as an amateur. I was a pretty good player, to tell you the truth.

"It's pretty hard to get hurt, then lose all your confidence and come back and be any good at all. That's the biggest thing about winning today."

Verplank won the 1998 World Cup of Golf, but his last tour victory was the 1988 Buick Open. The 12-year span between victories is the fourth longest drought in PGA Tour history.

After both players parred the first three playoff holes, Van de Velde drove into the rough on the par-5 17th, hit back into the fairway, and reached the green with a 225-yard shot.

The Frenchman ended up saving par with a 12-foot putt, but Verplank hit his third shot within 8 feet and holed the putt to claim his third tour title and first since 1988.

Van de Velde's adventures down the stretch were reminiscent of the 1999 British Open, where he squandered a three-stroke lead with a triple bogey on the final hole at Carnoustie and eventually lost to Paul Lawrie in a playoff.

Van de Velde played out of a hazard on the 15th hole for a bogey then missed a 12-foot birdie putt that would have won the tournament on the last hole of regulation.

Returning to the 18th for the first playoff hole, he missed almost the identical putt and both players parred. They did the same on the second playoff hole, the 15th.

"I had plenty of chances out there today and didn't make any of them. It was a pretty dry day," Van de Velde said.

"There's not much you can do really. You have to make a few putts and I didn't. That's the way it goes. I'll be back."

Verplank missed a 12-foot birdie attempt on the third playoff hole, the 163-yard, par-3 16th, while Van de Velde hit over the green, but chipped back within a foot.

On No. 17, Verplank drove up the fairway, laid up in front of the green and chipped to set up the winning putt.

He closed with a 5-under 67 and Van de Velde shot a 72 for 13-under 275 totals on the Montreux course.

Bob May, who lost a playoff to Tiger Woods last week in the PGA Championship, shot a 70 to finish a stroke back. He chipped in from 30 yards for an eagle on the par-5 14th.

Brian Henninger, who held the second-round lead on the strength of a course-record tying 64, shot a 73 to tie for fourth with Scott McCarron and Doug Dunakey at 278.

Verplank, the 1984 U.S. Amateur champion and 1986 NCAA winner, also won the 1985 Western Open in playoff, beating Jim Thorpe.

He tied for 15th in the U.S. Open that year, but missed most of the 1991-93 seasons with elbow surgery and didn't equal that performance in a major again until he tied for 15th at the British Open last year.

Tied for the lead at 13-under, Van de Velde hit into a hazard on the bank of a pond on the 477-yard, par-4 15th, but played from out of that rough anyway and two-putted for a bogey to drop a stroke behind Verplank.

Van de Velde nearly aced the next hole, missing the cup by inches on the 163-yard, par-3 16th. He made a short birdie putt to pull even again with Verplank.

But Van de Velde missed about an 18-footer for birdie on the 636-yard, par-5 17th in regulation, then drove into the rough on the 18th and had to take a free drop to get away from the temporary executive suites lining the hole.

He hit within about 12 feet, but left the birdie attempt just short.

Verplank earned $540,000 to push his season total to about $1.2 million. His best previous finish this year was a tie for sixth in the Doral Ryder Open.

He missed the cut in the PGA Championship last week, but tied for 11th the week before in the Buick Open and tied for 12th the week before that in the John Deere Classic.