Phoenix Open Golf : Lyle’s Bogeys Good Enough to Win

Scotland’s Sandy Lyle made two bogeys on the 18th hole of the Tournament Players Course here Sunday.

The first one, on the 72nd hole of regulation play, was good enough to force a playoff for the $117,000 first prize in the Phoenix Open golf tournament.

The second bogey, on the third extra hole, was enough to beat Fred Couples.

“He kind of gave it to me there at the end,” Lyle said.

Couples said nothing at all. At least, not for publication. He fled the course immediately after the playoff and was not available for comment.

“He was a bit unlucky,” Lyle said. “With the pressure on, he got his right hand over a bit and pulled it.”

He did it twice.

Once on the last hole of regulation play, once on the last hole of the playoff.

“I’m surprised,” Lyle said after the bizarre finish.

Lyle had finished at 15-under par and was standing by the green when Couples, in the last group, went to the tee on the 72nd hole needing only a par to win it outright.

He hooked his tee shot into the water, made bogey and gave Lyle a second chance.

After two extra holes were halved in par, they went to the 18th for the third hole of sudden death.

Lyle drove into a fairway bunker. And Couples hooked his tee shot into the same pond for the second time in less than an hour.

After a drop, he hit his third into a bunker. Lyle’s second shot missed the green.

Couples came out of the greenside bunker to the back of the green, some 30 feet away. He missed the bogey putt.

Lyle chipped to about 10 feet, missed for par but tapped in for the winning bogey.

Lyle, who came from seven shots back with a closing 65, scored his third American victory in as many years. It was worth $117,000 to the former British Open title-holder.

Couples played the last round in a one-under-par 70.

South African David Frost came on with a 68 and was third at 271, two shots out of the playoff.

Davis Love III, two strokes in front of the field starting the final round, collapsed with a string of four consecutive bogeys beginning on the eighth hole. He struggled home with a 76 for a 273.

Ken Brown of Scotland, Bob Lohr, Ken Green and Gil Morgan tied at 274. Lohr’s 66 included a 29 on the front side. Brown shot 67. Green and Morgan each had a 69.

A wrist injury forced PGA champion Larry Nelson to withdraw after 15 holes.

Lyle tied Couples for the lead with birdies on the two par 5s on the back nine, the 13th and 15th. The long-hitting Couples failed to birdie either of them.

Couples, however, coaxed in a 12-footer for birdie on the 16th to go one in front--for a moment.

Lyle, playing in front of Couples, drove the green on the 305-yard, par-4 17th and two-putted for the birdie that tied it again.

Couples also drove the 17th green. But he three-putted for par from about 100 feet.

Lyle got his approach in a bunker on the 18th and made bogey, again handing the lead to Couples.

Couples, however, hooked his 3-wood tee shot on the 18th, hit a spectator and saw his ball trickle into the water.

After a drop, he hit his third on the green, then two-putted from 20-25 feet for the bogey that set up the playoff.