US Tour: The most disrupted US Tour event in nearly a decade finally had a winner yesterday when Australian Adam Scott beat American Chad Campbell on the first play-off hole to capture the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
After more torrential overnight rain quickly ruled out any hope of completing even the third round, 36-hole leaders Scott and Campbell were told to prepare themselves for a sudden death - or, more appropriately, a sink or swim - play-off at 9.30am.
The difference between winning and losing was an amazing €260,000, and when the pair went to the 475-yard 18th, Campbell, who had not hit a shot even on the practice range all weekend, missed a four-foot putt for a bogey five.
So Scott, who had birdied the last hole of his second round to force the shoot-out, collected €864,000 and moved to a best-ever seventh in the world.
"It was tough for Chad to have two days off and then come out, but a win is a win," said Scott.
The cancellation of the third round meant bitter disappointment for Darren Clarke and Brian Davis, who were lying joint third only a stroke behind, and for Colin Montgomerie, whose second round 64 (his lowest-ever score in America) had left him two shots back in fifth.
The last 36-hole event on the circuit was the 1996 Buick Challenge and only once before in a history going back to 1926 had the Los Angeles Open not been decided over 72 holes.
There was some good and bad news for Clarke, Davis and Montgomerie. The good was that they were still paid full money for their rain-abbreviated week - €213,000 for the first two and €140,000 for Montgomerie.
It also counts towards the US money list, but the downside was that they will get only 75 per cent of the world ranking points on offer.
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