Paulson Prevails in Playoff

Dennis Paulson figures he’s just getting started as a PGA Tour winner.

The 37-year-old Californian played in his second straight playoff in the Buick Classic, beating David Duval with a four-foot par putt on the fourth extra hole Sunday.

“There’s 50 guys who won one golf tournament and don’t even play golf anymore,” said Paulson, who lost to Duffy Waldorf on the first extra hole last year. “I don’t want to be one of them.

“If you don’t think you can win, you won’t and you’ll lose your card. I basically have the same attitude that Tiger Woods has when I’m playing well: I think I can win every golf tournament.”

Paulson, who earned $540,000, holed the winning putt after Duval lipped out a five-foot par attempt on the par-four 17th.

“It was a straight putt. I hit it firm. Any harder and it would have gone so far past that I probably would have three-putted,” said Paulson, who set up the putt with a chip from the deep rough.

Duval’s putt caught the left edge of the cup.

After the players parred the first two playoff holes, Nos. 18 and 17, they matched birdies on the 18th. Duval made a 40-foot uphill putt and Paulson, a Costa Mesa High graduate, made a four-footer.

The tournament was decided in a playoff for the third consecutive year and the ninth time in the last 16 years. There have been 11 playoffs in the event’s 34-year history.

Paulson closed with a three-under-par 68 on the demanding Westchester Country Club course, holing a curling 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole for an eight-under 276 total. Duval, playing three holes behind Paulson, finished with a 69.

Sergio Garcia, the 20-year-old Spanish star who birdied his last hole Friday to make the cut, followed his third-round 65 with a 68 to finish a stroke back. Greg Norman shot a 67 to finish fourth at 278, his first top-10 finish since the British Open.

Garcia had the lead at 10 under after 10 holes, but on the par-4 11th, he failed to pull off a high-risk shot from deep in the woods and left the ball in the rough short of the green. He made double bogey.

Ernie Els, the 1996 and 1997 winner, finished three back along with Jesper Parnevik, Joey Sindelar, John Cook and Chris Perry. Parnevik shot a 68, and Els, Sindelar, Cook and Perry had 72s.