Ted Potter Jr. wins Greenbrier Classic in playoff

[July 09, 2012]  WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) -- In the span of a few days in West Virginia, Ted Potter Jr.'s summer went from missed cuts to memorable.

Coming off five straight tournaments in which he failed to advance to weekend play, the PGA Tour rookie won the Greenbrier Classic in a three-hole playoff over Troy Kelly on Sunday.

And now Potter can start planning.

There's a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour. A trip to this month's British Open and next year's Masters. And likely plans for the tour playoffs after he went from 173rd to 51st on the FedEx Cup list.

"Just (an) amazing feeling right now," Potter said. "Just knowing I've got a couple more years out here to have full exemption, to be able to play what I want to play in and be able to schedule my own tournaments and where I want to play. Stuff like that's going to be nice. So looking forward to that."

On a weekend when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson missed the cut, the 28-year-old Potter stood out in the end with some well-timed play down the stretch.

Ranked 218th in the world, Potter overcame a four-stroke deficit with four holes to play, finishing with his second straight 6-under 64 to match Kelly at 16 under. Kelly closed with a 66.

After both players made pars on the first two playoff holes, Potter sank a 4-footer for birdie on the par-3 18th to pick up the $1,098,000 winner's check.

Playing in the Masters, which Potter had listed as a career goal, and the other perks are a nice bonus.

But not the best part.

"Just winning," Potter said. "I just like to win.

"It was just a big relief. All the struggles the last few weeks, knowing that now I've got a couple years to try to improve on my game and win some more tournaments.

The left-hander became the sixth first-time winner on the tour this season.

Potter first joined the former Nationwide Tour in 2004 and didn't have much success until last year, when he finished second on the money list to advance to the PGA Tour.

"When you're missing cuts every week, you get down on yourself," Potter said. "I mean, it's hard to pick yourself back up. But the plus side for me is I was still young. I just knew I had plenty of time and just be patient and it will come back around again."

It did Sunday, and now Potter, along with Kelly and Marc Leishman -- who won two weeks ago at the Travelers Championship -- can pack their bags for the British Open, which starts July 19 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

It marked the third straight year of close finishes on the Old White TPC course. Scott Stallings beat Bob Estes and Bill Haas on the first hole of a playoff last year, and Stuart Appleby shot a 59 to beat Jeff Overton by a stroke in 2010.

Webb Simpson lost a one-stroke lead on the back nine at the tournament for the second straight year. The U.S. Open champion made three straight bogeys, shot 73 and tied for seventh at 11 under.

During the fourth round, Potter made long putts for a birdie at No. 15 and an eagle at No. 17, and his 5-footer for birdie at No. 18 tied Kelly, who could have avoided the playoff but missed birdie putts on the final two holes.

Both made par on the first two playoff holes, with Potter missing a 5-footer at No. 17 that would have won it on the second extra hole. Moments before, Kelly made a 22-footer for par after finding trouble from the greenside bunker.

Playing the par-3 18th for the third time on the day, Kelly's tee shot was short of a steep ridge in the middle of the green, while Potter sent his 9-iron onto the top of the ridge and it trickled close to the pin.

Kelly missed his 45-foot birdie putt, then watched Potter close out the win as thunderstorms moved in.

Despite the disappointment, Kelly earned his best career finish. His previous best was a tie for 37th.

"I had a lot of fun," Kelly said. "And looking forward to kind of getting in that position some more."

Kelly underwent hip-replacement surgery in September 2010 after being diagnosed with arthritis. He resumed playing golf five months later and was 11th in Nationwide winnings last year.

Charlie Wi and rookie Charlie Beljan tied for third at 14 under. Wi shot a 65, and Beljan had a 67.

Daniel Summerhays finished fifth at 13 under after a 64. Martin Flores (67) was another stroke back.

Simpson, the third-round leader, had gone 50 consecutive holes without a bogey but made three of them in a row starting at the par-5 12th.

"I felt really confident and then just got on a bad run there," Simpson said. "I'm probably going to learn something from it. Have to learn the hard way."

Simpson can now focus on family. He's skipping the British Open because his wife, Dowd, is due to give birth to the couple's second child within three weeks.

Joining Simpson at 11 under were Robert Castro (63), Kevin Na (65), Sean O'Hair (66) and Ken Duke (70). Duke was within a shot of the lead on the 14th hole before fading with a pair of double bogeys.

 [Associated Press; By JOHN RABY]

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