The golfer’s win in the Bob Hope Classic ended his 18-month winless streak.
By The Associated Press

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Phil Mickelson showed he’s back on his game after a disappointing year, beating Skip Kendall on the first playoff hole Sunday in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

The victory ended an 18-month winless streak for Mickelson, who dropped from second to 16th in the world rankings.

He rolled a 3-foot birdie putt into the center of the cup to win the Hope, his second victory in the tournament in two years.

Kendall was left still looking for his first tour win. He was runner-up for the fourth time in his career, losing three times in playoffs.

Mickelson, making his 2004 debut, closed with a 5-under 68 to match Kendall (65) at 30-under 330 in the 90-hole tournament.

After each birdied the final hole, they returned to the 18th tee to begin the playoff. Both hit their drives down the center, then Kendall pulled his second shot into the left rough beside the green on the 543-yard par 5. Mickelson’s second shot went into the rough on the other side, but considerably closer to the hole.

Kendall chipped onto the putting surface, then missed his 20-foot birdie try. Mickelson’s chip left him the short putt, and he confidently stroked it in to wrap up a day when he had some problems on the green.

Jay Haas, 50, the 1988 tournament champion and runner-up to Mike Weir a year ago, finished third with a 67 that left him one shot behind Mickelson and Kendall.

Jonathan Kaye shot a 64 to finish fourth at 332.

Kirk Triplett, who was tied with Mickelson going into the final round and hadn’t had a bogey in the tournament, had four bogeys and a double bogey in a 74 that left him six strokes back.

Kendall, playing in the group in front of Mickelson, and Mickelson matched similar birdies on No. 18 to force the playoff.

Both players hit their second shots about pin-high in the rough adjacent to the green, then pitched within some 18 inches of the hole.

Kendall, who had been the co-leader after the first round but hadn’t been atop the leaderboard since, moved one shot ahead of Mickelson with a short birdie putt on No. 16 to go to 30 under, while Mickelson bogeyed No. 15.

Kendall gave it back on the next hole, when he missed a 10-foot par putt after pushing his tee shot to the right of the green.

Siem wins Dunhill

on third playoff hole

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Germany’s Marcel Siem made a 10-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to beat France’s Raphael Jacquelin and Gregory Havret and win the Dunhill Championship on Sunday.

Siem shot a final-round 6-under-par 66 and finished tied with Jacquelin (67) and Havret (67) at 22-under 266 at Houghton Golf Club.

The playoff took place on the par-5 18th, and after the players parred the first extra hole, Havret made par on the second and was eliminated when Siem and Jacquelin made birdie.

On the third extra hole, Jacquelin had a par, and the 23-year-old Siem rolled in a birdie putt for his first European Tour victory.

Siem is the fifth straight first-time winner at Dunhill, following Anthony Wall, Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Mark Foster, who won a six-man playoff last year.

“Obviously I am delighted to win, it is unbelievable,” Siem said. “I knew it was the best chance I had had to win my first tournament being in sudden death, and I just tried to be positive over every shot.”

Siem missed a 10-footer putt for eagle on the first playoff hole and a 15-foot eagle try on the second.

“I’ll be honest, my hands were shaking on that first putt,” said Siem, who decided to chew gum on the golf course for the first time in order to calm the nerves.

Soren Hansen closed with a 3-under 69 and finished fourth at 21 under.

South Africa’s James Kingston shot a 10-under 62 and finished in a six-way tie for sixth in a group that included countrymen Craig Lile (70) and Trevor Immelman (69), who was coming off a victory in the South African Open, and Lee Westwood (68).

Zoeller rallies

to win MasterCard

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii – Fuzzy Zoeller won the season-opening MasterCard Championship on Sunday, birdieing the final three holes for an 8-under 64 and a one-stroke victory over 2003 winner Dana Quigley.

Zoeller sank an 18-foot birdie put on the 54th hole of the tournament to finish at 20-under 196. Zoeller, third last year, earned $268,000 for his second Champions Tour title.

Quigley shot a 65 and took home $161,000.

Zoeller, Quigley, second-round leader Doug Tewell, and Craig Stadler jockeyed for position on the back nine until Quigley and Zoeller both birdied No. 17 to go up by a stroke.

Zoeller found an opening when he hit the green on his approach shot on the 410-yard No. 18, while Quigley’s shot found the left bunker.

After bogeying the 434-yard second hole, Zoeller made a charge up the leaderboard with five straight birdies that gave him the share of the lead with Tewell.

Zoeller made the turn at 32 and sank a 31/2-foot birdie putt on the 566-yard 10th to take his first lead. His round included nine birdies and one bogey.

Zoeller, a 10-time winner on the PGA Tour, won the 2002 Senior PGA Championship – his first year on the Champions Tour.

Stadler tied the tournament record with his 63 to tie for third with Tewell (69) at 198. Stadler’s round included an eagle and seven birdies. His only bogey of the tournament was in the first round.

Stadler won the B.C. Open last year to become the first senior tour player to win a PGA Tour event.

The MasterCard was the third event of the year. He tied for 28th in the PGA Tour’s Mercedes Championship and missed the cut in the Sony Open.

Jack Nicklaus, who turned 64 on Wednesday, shot a 67 to finish sixth, five strokes off the lead. It was the first time on the Champions Tour that he shot three rounds in the 60s in a 54-hole tournament.

It was calm and a balmy 83 degrees at the oceanside Hualalai Golf Club, which features white-sand bunkers and is surrounded by black, dry lava fields. The 7,097-yard, Nicklaus-designed course features the Pacific Ocean on one side and two volcanoes on the other, Mount Hualalai and the snowcapped Mauna Kea.

The MasterCard is the first of 30 official events on the 50-and-over tour. The event featured senior major champions in the last five years and tour winners in the last two seasons.

The record 39 players included six members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Arnold Palmer, 74, finished in last place at 11-over 227 after a 75. He was still followed by a gallery and cheered at nearly every hole.

Divots: Palmer, Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson will to stay in Hawaii to play in the Champions Skin Game. Michelle Wie, the 14-year-old golfing sensation from Honolulu, is expected to attend the pro-am. … Eichelberger played in the PGA Tour’s Sony Open with Wie less than two weeks ago. Eichelberger finished in last place, 17 strokes behind Wie, who missed the cut by one stroke. “That was quite something,” Eichelberger said about the attention drawn by Wie. “I haven’t seen anything like that since Arnie was winning everything in the late 60s and the early 70s. It was a phenomenon.”

AP-ES-01-25-04 2232EST