Sport

Tway ends eight-year Tour losing streak in play-off

US Tour: Bob Tway won the Canadian Open by defeating Brad Faxon on the third play-off hole on Sunday for his first PGA Tour …

Tue Sept 09 2003 - 01:00

US Tour: Bob Tway won the Canadian Open by defeating Brad Faxon on the third play-off hole on Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory in eight years.

Tway won with a bogey after hitting his approach shot into a green-side bunker as Faxon suffered a disastrous hole in which he took four shots to reach the green and then two-putted.

"I don't know how many tournaments it's been, but this is a very special win," Tway said of the winless streak. "I've been coming to Canada for a long time. The reason is because it's a National Open. We think of this as a little more important than the rest of them, the other tour events."

The victory earned Tway $756,000 as he enjoyed his first victory on the PGA Tour since the 1995 MCI Classic.

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The pair both parred the first play-off hole, the par-four 18th, before Faxon missed a chance to win when his six-foot birdie putt at the next, the par-five 17th, rolled past the high side of the cup.

Tway had shot a final round four-under-par 66 to finish level with Faxon (67) at eight-under 272.

Faxon birdied 13 through 15 and was later tied by Tway, whose third-shot chip at the par-five 17th skimmed the edge of the hole and left him a three-foot birdie putt. Tway saved par at the 18th with a 23-foot putt, while Faxon finished with a two-putt par.

Tom Pernice Jr (68) bogeyed the 18th hole to miss the play-off by one stroke as he finished third at seven-under 273.

South Korea's KJ Choi (66) and Japan's Hidemichi Tanaka (71), the 54-hole leader, finished at six-under 274, while Fiji's Vijay Singh (68) and Fred Funk (70) tied for sixth at five-under 275.

"I almost didn't win today. It takes some luck, good fortune and some good golf," said Tway. "I don't know, maybe this will spur things on for more of them."

Faxon was left to rue his missed opportunity to win on the second play-off hole. After hitting a miraculous fairway bunker third shot to just above the hole he uncharacteristically missed the short putt.

"I saw it breaking a little left, and I hit it where I wanted to and it stayed out there," Faxon said. "I would be much more upset at myself if I gagged over it and didn't hit it the way I wanted to."