Glover wins after playoff

Lucas Glover poses with the trophy after defeating Jonathan Byrd on the first playoff hole during the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday. (AFP

Lucas Glover won his first title since the 2009 U.S. Open by beating his former college team mate Jonathan Byrd on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff at the Quail Hollow Championship on Sunday.
Byrd, who played three years with Glover at nearby Clemson University and has competed against him since they were 10 year olds, forced the playoff with a birdie at the 18th to finish the regulation 72 holes locked at 15-under-par 273.
Returning to the 18th, Byrd hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker on the right and then pulled his approach left into rough just behind a creek running alongside the green. 
His pitch ran well past the hole and he two-putted for bogey, while Glover safely two-putted for par to end his title drought 41 tournaments after his major triumph at Bethpage Black.
Glover, who relied on his putting to make up for erratic play off the tee, shot a final-round of three-under 69, while Byrd posted a par 72.
One stroke behind the two Americans was South African Rory Sabbatini, who surged into contention with seven birdies in a flawless 65 to reach 14 under.
“I putted great,” said the bearded Glover, who did not have a single three-putt in the tournament. “The key for me, especially here, is I made a lot of five to eight-footers for par to keep the rounds going.”
Glover, 31, curled in a left-to-right, six-footer to save par at the 72nd hole after an adventure that saw his tee shot sail left onto a steep slope and his ball roll down the hillside as he stood over his approach shot. 
He banged his second shot through the green and chipped past the hole, but made the putt coming back.
“It’s not the way you draw up the 72nd hole of a tournament, but I made a great chip shot and left it underneath the hole,” he said.
Byrd, 33, had won both previous playoffs he had competed in most memorably in extra time last year at Las Vegas with a hole-in-one—but his wayward drive put paid to his hopes of a sixth U.S. PGA title. 
“I had a hook lie, a little hook lie out of the bunker,” Byrd, who led by four strokes at one point, told reporters. “I just pulled it ... ten yards left of the flag.
“If I couldn’t win, I couldn’t pick anybody else I’d want to win other than Lucas, so I’m very happy for him.”
The victory gave Glover his third PGA Tour title.
“Jon is a great player. He just got a bad break with a tough lie in the bunker,” Glover said.
In fourth place on 13 under, was Bill Haas, followed by fellow American Kevin Na another shot back.
Former Masters champion Zach Johnson made two eagles on par-fours to post a four-under 68 and tie for sixth on 277 for his first top-10 of the year.
Another shot away in a group on 278 were Phil Mickelson (69) and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (68). 
Following the round, they were led back to the tee at the 13th hole where officials looked into whether Harrington had teed off in front of the markers, which would have led to his disqualification.
After a long look at the tee markers and what was believed to be Harrington’s divot, it was decided that there would be no penalty imposed.