HILTON HEAD, South Carolina — Graeme McDowell held his nerve in fierce winds to clinch his second PGA Tour title with a playoff victory over US Open champion Webb Simpson at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Sunday. Northern Irishman McDowell sealed the win with a regulation two-putt par at the first extra hole, the 18th, where Simpson three-putted for bogey after missing the green to the right with his approach. Using a putter for his third shot from 33 feet, Simpson narrowly missed the left edge of the cup with his birdie attempt, his ball ending up six feet beyond the hole after being blown by a sudden gust. After former US Open champion McDowell left his birdie putt from 13 feet inches short and right before tapping in for a four, Simpson missed his par putt and sank to his knees in anguish. The pair had finished the 72 regulation holes on nine-under-par 275, McDowell three-putting to bogey the last for a two-under 69 and Simpson closing with a 71. English world No. six Luke Donald lost momentum after the turn on the way to a 69, finishing joint third at seven under with American Kevin Streelman (72). Overnight leader Charley Hoffman limped home in five-over 40, a closing 77 dropping him back into a three-way tie for sixth at five under. The final round was always going to be difficult as strong winds gusted through the tree-lined layout but Simpson made a fast start with two early birdies, a 10-footer at the par-four third putting him a tie for the lead with Hoffman at 11 under. While Simpson bogeyed the hole after finding a fairway bunker off the tee and the right rough with his second shot, Hoffman rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt there to edge a stroke in front at 11 under. The long-haired American Hoffman reached the turn with a one-shot lead, Simpson having missed a six-foot par putt at the eighth. Within the space of a few minutes early on the back nine, three players ended up in a tie at the top of the leaderboard. McDowell coolly sank a 20-footer for par at the 13th to remain at nine under and bogey-free for the round. Level with the Northern Irishman were Hoffman, who bogeyed the par-four 12th after finding a bunker with his approach and splashing out 16 feet beyond the hole, and Simpson, who sank a four-footer there for birdie. Hoffman's title challenge effectively ended when he double-bogeyed the par-three 14th after dumping his tee shot into water before McDowell went ahead for the first time with his birdie at the 16th. Though McDowell made his only bogey of the day at the par-four 18th, where he ran his approach putt from just off the back of the green 12 feet past the cup, he coolly clinched the title on the first extra hole. — Reuters
