LOS ANGELES, Jan 24 — Jhonattan Vegas won his first PGA Tour title in only his fifth start, beating Americans Bill Haas and Gary Woodland in a nerve-jangling playoff for the Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta, California yesterday.

Rookie Vegas, who learned golf playing with a broomstick and a rock in his native Venezuela, sealed victory at the second extra hole on the Palmer Private course at PGA West when he remarkably salvaged par after driving into water.

After taking a penalty drop, he hit his third shot from 157 yards to 12 feet and calmly sank the putt for a stunning breakthrough win in fading light.

The happy-go-lucky 26-year-old from Maturin pumped his right fist several times in celebration before being embraced on the green by his parents.

"Oh man, I am as happy as you can be in life and I've got to thank God first for the opportunity," Vegas, a graduate from the 2010 Nationwide Tour, said in a television interview after securing the winner's cheque for US$900,000 (RM2.8 million).

"This is a dream come true. It's something you dream about but just making it happen is something else."

Woodland had been in prime position off the tee on the second extra hole, the par-four 10th, but he bogeyed after pushing his approach into a greenside bunker, splashing out well past the cup and missing the par putt coming back.

"It's tough to lose," Woodland, who considered a career in basketball before switching to golf at college, told reporters. "I came here expecting to win. I didn't. But credit to him he made a great four there. It was pretty cool."

Defending champion Haas exited the playoff at the first extra hole, the par-five 18th, where his par was trumped by birdies from Woodland and Vegas.

The trio had finished the 90 regulation holes on 27-under-par 333, Vegas bogeying the last for a three-under 69, Haas carding a six-birdie 66 and Woodland closing with a 69.

For much of a glorious sun-drenched afternoon in the California desert, it seemed Vegas was on track for victory before he faltered at the final hole of regulation.

FAST START

Tied for the lead overnight with Woodland, Vegas made a fast start when he drained a 30-footer to birdie the par-four first and move one stroke clear.

He then struck a superb five-iron from 231 yards to 11 feet at the par-five sixth and calmly rolled in the eagle putt to forge three ahead, pumping his right fist in delight.

Vegas overshot the green with a booming drive of 330 yards at the par-four eighth before chipping back from greenside rough to five feet and coolly knocking in the birdie putt.

That left him two ahead of playing partner Woodland who had birdied the sixth, seventh and eighth.

The long-hitting Woodland narrowly missed a seven-foot birdie opportunity at the par-four ninth and remained two strokes off the pace after reaching the turn in two-under 34.

At the 11th, Woodland squandered another chance to trim the lead when his five-foot birdie slid past the right edge, Vegas having parred the hole after failing to reach the green in two.

Clearly suffering from nerves on the back nine and not playing at his best from tee to green, Vegas did well to record eight successive pars with clutch putt after clutch putt.

The most challenging came at the par-four 16th where he missed the green to the right with his approach and hit a lob wedge eight feet past the hole before sinking the putt.

Needing to par the last to seal victory by one shot, Vegas recorded his only bogey of the day after finding the right rough off the tee and ending up three-putting from long range.

His final miss from seven feet took the tournament into a playoff and two more holes of desert drama before he emerged triumphant. — Reuters

 

LONDON, Jan 24 — Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Olympic Committee (LOCOG) said Britain's reputation would be "trashed" if Tottenham Hotspur's plan to rip down the Olympic stadium were given the nod next week.

Spurs are in competition with fellow Premier League soccer club West Ham United to take over the £500 million (RM2.5 billion) stadium after the Games but whereas West Ham's plan will maintain an athletics legacy, Tottenham's does not include a track.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) is evaluating both bids and is expected to make its recommendation on Friday, after which the government and mayor of London will have the final say on the future of the site.

"It's serious we deliver what we said we were going to unless we're prepared to trash our reputation," Coe, who has so far been guarded in his comments on the process despite his athletics background, told BBC Radio Five.

"It'd be very difficult for us to be taken seriously in the corridors of world sport and arguably beyond."

Much of London's winning bid in 2005 was based on a sporting legacy in the East End and central to that was an athletics stadium capable of hosting world class events.

Tottenham, who argue that tracks do not work in soccer stadiums, have offered to revamp the out-dated Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in south London as part of its legacy commitment to athletics.

"I remember delivering a vision about a generation of young people being inspired to take up Olympic sports, I remember talking about young people in a poor community in East London fashioning their future through sport," Coe said.

"I'm prepared to revisit my words but I don't recall a whole heap about bulldozing down a publicly-funded community facility, replacing it with a football club and inspiring a generation of Tottenham season ticket holders, however many there may be on a waiting list."

Speaking on the same show, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy appeared to cast doubt on the club's existing plans to build a new stadium adjacent to its White Hart Lane home in north London — a plan that is popular with the fans.

"It's very simple — we have a 36,000-strong waiting list for season tickets and we sell out every game, we need a bigger stadium," he said.

"It's exceedingly difficult to find a site to build a new stadium, and the North London Development project (redeveloping White Hart Lane) is not financially viable at the moment.

"We're committed to financing whatever it takes to redevelop Crystal Palace into a 25,000 stadium which would be expandable up to 40,000 for a world championship."

West Ham, whose current ground is just two miles from the Olympic Park, would retain the athletics track in their bid which is supported by the London borough of Newham.

Tottenham are in partnership with American entertainment giant AEG which owns the nearby O2 Arena. — Reuters