Jim McGovern birdied the final hole of regulation to force a playoff and then birdied the second playoff hole to beat Jim Huston and win his first PGA Tour event at The Woodlands, Texas.
McGovern, who earned $234,000 from the $1.3 million Houston Open purse, charged into contention with an eagle on No. 15 and forced Huston into a playoff with an 8-foot birdie putt on the 54th hole of the rain-shortened tournament.Rain and fog hampered play all four days of the tournament, forcing officials to reduce it to three rounds.
McGovern's previous best finish was fourth at last year's St. Jude Classic. He tied for sixth in this year's Honda Classic.
McGovern and Huston each shot 4-under-par 68s in the final round and finished with 17-under 199 totals.
Huston had broken out of a five-way tie for the lead with a birdie putt on 17 for the one-shot lead McGovern erased with his birdie putt.
On the first playoff hole, the par-4, 445-yard 18th, Huston missed a 6-foot birdie putt after McGovern had missed a much longer birdie putt. Both made par, forcing the decision to the par-4, 428-yard 10th.
Both faced 25-foot putts for birdies. Huston's stopped about one inch from the hole.
Payne Stewart, Donnie Hammond and Blaine McCallister, who were part of the five-way tie, finished at 200 to tie for third.
McCallister started the final round with a two-shot lead over McGovern and Huston.
McGovern parred his first eight holes until he birdied No. 9 and went 16 under to join the leaders with a birdie on No. 11. He faded with bogeys on 14 and 15.
But McGovern nailed his shot to the green on No. 15 and sank a 3-foot putt for an eagle.
After going 17 under with a 10-foot birdie putt on 17, Huston missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole.
The tournament has faced weather problems 14 of the past 20 years, including 1991 when the event had to rescheduled in October after all four days were rained out in April.
At Tallahassee, Fla., Kristi Albers had a devil of a time winning her first LPGA tournament Sunday.
The eight-year veteran had six birdies, six bogeys and six pars in an up-and-down, even-par finish that required a birdie on No. 18 to avoid a playoff with fast-closing Rosie Jones in the $1.2 million Sprint Classic.
Albers, 29, dropped a 5-foot putt for birdie on 18 after nearly giving away the richest tournament in women's golf with bogeys on the three previous holes.
"It came in at the right time," she said after the winning putt barely dropped after catching the left lip of the hole.
"I didn't know what I was going to do," added Albers, who had started thinking about a playoff after 17 when she missed a 5-footer for par. "I was kind of in shock. I couldn't believe I missed that putt.
"I battled myself a lot, especially coming in," said Albers, who hung on for the win after her second straight par round to finish the tournament with a 9-under 279.
"I was out there trying to make birdies, but I guess you never know," she said. "I don't know what really went my way, but I won."
Albers, winless since turning pro in October 1985, collected $180,000, more money than she had made in any of her previous years on the tour. She also took over the top spot on the LPGA money list with $203,000 this season and became the first wire-to-wire winner this season.
"She played the last hole great," said Jones, who watched from the gallery.
Jones, who won a career-high $111,711 for second place, finished nearly two hours earlier after posting Sunday's best round, a 5-under 67.
Kris Tschetter, Elaine Crosby, Michelle McGann and Deb Richard finished three shots back. Crosby shot 68, McGann 69 and Tschetter and Richard 71.
Hall of Famer JoAnne Carner and 21-year-old Brandie Burton began the day one stroke behind Albers but faded in Sunday's windy playing conditions.
Carner, seeking to become the oldest player to win a regular tournament event in professional golf, bogeyed two of her first four holes and fell behind by five shots midway through the front nine. The 54-year-old Carner was 3-over Sunday and finished at 5-under 283.
"I could never get zipped up," Carner said. "Everything was just a little off."
Burton, the 1991 rookie of the year, was two strokes off the lead at the turn, then bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 to drop from contention. She fell to a 2-under 286 following a final-round 78.
Albers led by two shots after a first-round 66 and then clung to one shot leads following Friday's 69 and Saturday's 72.
Julie Inkster was the last LPGA performer to lead all four rounds in her victory last July in the Big Apple Classic.
Defending champion Danielle Ammaccapane had a 72 Sunday to finish at even-par 288.