Daly error lets Woods in for play-off victory

US Tour: There was no fairytale ending for John Daly at the WGC-American Express Championship yesterday when he three-putted the second extra hole to hand the title to Tiger Woods.

Daly and Woods returned to the par-four 18th for the first extra hole and both made par after their approaches span back off the front of the green.

The duo completed the 72 holes of regulation play on 10-under-par 270, Woods firing a three-under 67 and Daly closing with a 69 at the Harding Park golf course.

Woods ensured the passionate crowds would be in for a grandstand finish with a birdie from three feet on the 16th to get within one shot of Daly again.

And then Daly opened the door for a play-off when he three putted the 17th.

Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, chasing his first PGA Tour title, bogeyed the last for a 70 to slip back into a share of third place at eight under with Spaniard Sergio Garcia (69) and Swede Henrik Stenson (68).

Earlier Former British Open champion Daly, the overnight leader, had reached 11 under par after 13 holes of his second round. Montgomerie was level par for his round and three shots behind Daly.

But Tiger Woods had a run of three consecutive birdies to reach nine under, two behind Daly, with four holes to play.

Daly's action-packed front nine contained two birdies, one bogey and some typically massive drives.

Garcia's round was a mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous. A birdie on the second was followed by a three-putt bogey from 10ft on the sixth before the Ryder Cup star holed his second shot from 110 yards for an eagle on the seventh.

Woods was also enjoying a rollercoaster round with two birdies and two bogeys, the world number one producing a superb chip from heavy rough to set up a birdie on the seventh but then hitting a poor tee-shot into the next to hand back the shot.

Woods was seeking his 11th win in 21 World Golf Championship events and it looked increasingly likely as he birdied three holes in a row from the 10th.

That took him alongside Daly at 10 under par, Daly failing to birdie the par five 10th after a clumsy chip from just short of the green. Just when it appeared everything was going Woods' way, Daly chipped in from 60ft for birdie on the 13th.

Montgomerie, fresh from his first win in 19 months in the Dunhill Links championship last Sunday, was plotting a steadier course with a bogey on the third - where he missed the green with his approach - cancelled out by a birdie from 15ft on the seventh.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, still regretting a quadruple bogey eight on the 18th on Saturday fired a 68, that also included a double bogey, for a share of sixth place.