Mahan gets first win in playoff

Hunter Mahan earned his first PGA Tour victory Sunday, winning the Travelers Championship at Cromwell, Conn., in a playoff a year after finishing second.

Mahan, in his fourth year on the tour, made a two-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat 40-year-old journeyman Jay Williamson.

Mahan, 25, had only one other top-10 finish this year, tying for fifth at the Shell Houston Open in April.

His 62 on Thursday was one shot off the course record, and his 71 on Friday was his first round out of the 60s in the tournament since he shot a 72 during the third round in 2005.

Mahan shot a five-under-par 65 Sunday for a 15-under total of 265. He trailed by a stroke on the final hole of regulation when he hit a 144-yard approach to within seven feet. After Williamson missed a 12-footer for birdie, Mahan put his in the cup, pumping his fist and sending the pair back to the tee.

Mahan then hit his 134-yard approach on the first playoff hole within two feet.

“I just kept plugging away,” he said. “Jay gave me a little opening on 18 and I’m glad I made it.”

Nick O’Hern shot a 66 in the final round to finish third at 11-under.

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Lorena Ochoa erased a three-shot deficit over the last two regulation holes and beat rookie In-Kyung Kim in a playoff to win the Wegmans LPGA at Pittsford, N.Y.

Ochoa closed with a one-over 73 for an eight-under total of 280 on the Locust Hill course and won with a par on the second playoff hole. She eagled the par-five 17th and got even on the last hole when Kim missed a four-foot putt for par.

It was Ochoa’s first playoff win in five attempts, and the first playoff finish at the tournament in suburban Rochester since Patty Sheehan defeated Ayako Okamoto in 1989.

Ochoa earned $270,000 and leads the money list with $1.52 million. That’s almost half a million dollars more than her nearest rival, Suzann Pettersen of Norway.

The 19-year-old Kim, who closed with a 72, has made steady progress this year. Her previous best finish was a tie for fourth at last month’s Corning Classic. She missed the cut in four of her first six outings but stayed through the weekend in the past six, tying for 21st at the LPGA Championship two weeks ago.

“I can cry right now but I’m not going to cry for this,” Kim said. “I played really tight with the No. 1 player and I’ll take that experience. Next time I’m never going to let it go.”

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Jay Haas shot a final-round 66 to win the Bank of America Championship in Concord, Mass., by three shots over Leonard Thompson and Brad Bryant.

Haas had a three-round total of 13-under 203 and earned him his fourth victory of the year.

Tom Purtzer took a three-stroke lead into the last day and made the turn at 12-under over the 6,741-yard, par-72 Nashawtuc Country Club. But the two-time runner-up bogeyed three straight holes and then double-bogeyed the par-three 17th after putting his tee shot in the water. He shot 73 and finished fourth.

Haas made the turn at 11-under and picked up a pair of birdies on the back nine to complete his bogey-free round.