GOLF : Love Wins With an Eagle

Davis Love eagled the par-five 18th hole from 40 feet to break a tie with Mike Hulbert and win the $800,000 Kapalua International golf tournament Sunday.

Love’s final round of six-under-par 67 gave him a total of 15-under 275 and the winner’s purse of $150,000.

Three times Love has finished second at Kapalua, including last year when Hulbert came from four shots back to catch Love in the last round and then beat him with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.

This time Love turned the tables, coming from four shots behind Hulbert, who finished alone in second at 276 after a closing round of 72 on a windy day at the Kapalua Resort’s par-73 Plantation Course.

In addition to being tied at the end of regulation play last year, Love and Hulbert were deadlocked again atop the leader board after this year’s first round.

At the end of two rounds, they were still tied, this time one shot off the pace. And on Sunday, with only one hole to go, they were tied again after Hulbert birdied No. 17.

But Love settled the matter with his dramatic eagle on the 18th.

“It feels a lot better than it did a year ago,” Love said. “I knew I’d have to make eagle to avoid the playoff because you knew he was going to make birdie. I made a couple of long putts today, which is unusual for me.”