LA QUINTA, Calif. — Brian Gay won the Humana Challenge on Sunday, beating Charles Howell III with a 5 1⁄2-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff after front-running Scott Stallings gave away a large lead.
Gay closed with a 9-under 63 on PGA West’s Arnold Palmer Private Course to match Howell and Swedish rookie David Lingmerth at 25-under 263.
Howell shot a 64, and Lingmerth had a 62. Stallings, five strokes ahead entering the round, bogeyed the final hole for a 70 to miss the playoff by a stroke.
The 41-year-old Gay began the round six strokes behind Stallings.
“The thoughts were, ‘Just be aggressive, shoot as low as you can,’ " Gay said. “I knew Scott was five ahead. Even with a great round, a really low round, it would be tough to catch him, if at all. I played great on the front, just tried to stay aggressive and shoot low."
Gay and Howell opened the playoff with birdies on the par-5 18th, and Lingmerth dropped out with a bogey after hitting his approach into the left-side water.
Gay won on the par-4 10th, hitting a perfect drive and putting his 9-iron second shot in good position below the hole. Howell drove into the right rough, hit his second into the back bunker, blasted out to 15 feet and two-putted for bogey.
Also on Sunday:
Donaldson wins in Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Jamie Donaldson won the Abu Dhabi Championship by one shot, with Justin Rose narrowly missing a birdie putt on the 18th that would have forced a playoff.
Cook’s birdie takes out Frost
KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii — John Cook caught David Frost on the final hole of regulation, then beat him with a birdie on the second playoff hole to win the Champions Tour Mitsubishi Electric Championship.
