Mark Wilson weathers the conditions to win Humana Challenge

Reporting from La Quinta -- Mark Wilson’s 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole of the Palmer Private wasn’t exactly a stab in the dark but more like a punch in the twilight and whether Wilson could totally see the hole or not, he stood as a winner because of it.

Wilson’s birdie on the final hole clinched the Humana Challenge golf tournament Sunday at the PGA West Palmer Private course. Wilson earned a check of $1,008,000 and showed an aptitude for playing golf well in the conditions of extreme wind gusts, the dim light of dawn and the advancing chill and darkness of the desert night.

“The day went not as planned,” Wilson said. “I guess it never does.”

Wilson shot a finishing round of three-under-par 69 and had a four-day score of 24-under 264.

That was good for a two-shot victory over the trio of John Mallinger, a graduate of Long Beach State; Johnson Wagner, whose jet-black mustache has made it a fan fad to wear tape-on imitations; and Robert Garrigus, who almost had a big moment of his own when a 35-foot eagle putt on No. 18 that would have put him in the lead slid past the hole.

As other golfers were pulling on sweaters over the final holes, Wilson, who is from Wisconsin, was content to occasionally blow on his hands to keep warm.

“I’ve been swinging with short sleeves all day,” Wilson said. “Then to put [a sweater] on for the last hole, it’s like a new feeling. I just didn’t want a new feeling because everything was going well.”

Wilson played in the final threesome with Garrigus and Zach Johnson. Garrigus said he wished there had been lights on the course at the end but both he and Wilson said they were happy the tournament finished as scheduled Sunday.

No one had finished the third round Saturday after winds recorded as high as 50 mph in the area caused play to be halted.

For the first three days, the tournament used three different courses and Wilson had been at La Quinta Country Club on Saturday where the weather caused the most trouble, uprooting several palm trees.

Wilson had to finish his third round there early Sunday and he said evidence of the severe weather was still apparent.

“They’ve got a lot of cleanup to do,” Wilson said. “Trees are down and palm leaves and everything. Whatever you call those. They’re everywhere.”

When everyone had completed the third round, Wilson held a three-stroke lead over Johnson, Garrigus and Ben Crane.

And only once during the final 18 holes did Wilson give up any share of that lead, when Garrigus recorded his fourth birdie of the round on the 10th hole and snuck a stroke ahead of Wilson.

But Wilson birdied the par-five 11th and Garrigus settled for par. Wilson went ahead for good when he birdied the par-three 12th hole while Garrigus again took a par.

Garrigus said he had fun playing with Wilson even though he said it felt as if they were in a race against the dark at the finish.

“I could barely pick up the flag on 18,” said Garrigus, who had been two over par after his first 17 holes of the tournament. Garrigus made 27 birdies on the final 55 holes but it was an eagle he needed to make on No. 18.

diane.pucin@latimes.com

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