Herron Captures Colonial After Playoff

Tim Herron wanted to treat the final round of the Colonial as if he were a member playing a Sunday afternoon round.
While it looked exactly like that at times, the player affectionally known as "Lumpy" won on the PGA Tour for the first time in seven years. He beat Richard Johnson with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff, the first time since 1994 extra holes were needed at Hogan's Alley.
"This winning thing isn't that easy," Herron said after his winning 9 1/2-foot birdie putt on the 382-yard 17th hole.
It was Herron's first win since Bay Hill in 1999. He gets the winner's plaid jacket and $1.08 million - more than what he got for his three previous wins combined.
Herron (2-under 68) and Johnson (67), who ended regulation tied at 12-under 268, both had long drives on the first playoff hole and had to settle for two-putt pars. They then went to No. 17, where after similar drives Johnson's approach was 25 feet short of the hole.
Johnson had birdies on the same two par 4s to finish regulation. He trailed Herron by three strokes after three-putting the 188-yard 16th hole for a bogey. But Herron couldn't close it out, and had to scramble to stay in the lead.
"I thought I was out of it," Johnson said. "I had no idea what was going on behind me."
Rod Pampling, who won at Bay Hill in March and was in the final group with Herron, had his second straight even-par round since his career-best 63 Friday. He finished alone in third, two strokes back.
Stephen Ames (63), with an incredible comeback after faltering in the third round, and Ben Crane (64) tied for fourth at 271 with Brett Quigley (66), Arron Oberholser (67), Stewart Cink (68), Peter Lonard (70) and Nathan Green (70).
Johnson was 10 under when he three-putted on No. 16, his third bogey in a round with six birdies.
A group behind, Herron was 13 under after a par at No. 15, where Pampling dropped out of a share of the lead with a double bogey. That was one of only three greens he missed, his approach going wide right and through a cart path before settling in a grass clump under a bush against a fence. He sculled that shot over and through the green.
Johnson hit his approach at No. 17 to 28 feet and made the birdie.
Herron then put his tee shot at No. 16 in the front greenside bunker, and blasted to 16 feet. But he was unable to save par and dropped to 12 under.
At No. 17, Herron hit his tee shot right and his approach left. While Johnson was making a 6-foot birdie on the closing hole, Herron saved par with a clutch 12-foot putt.
Herron missed the green again at No. 18, but chipped to 9 feet and saved par.
Even though Herron had three birdies his first four holes Sunday, he did so with some interesting plays.
After missing the fairway at the 563-yard No. 1 hole, he had a 37-yard birdie putt. At No. 3, he saved par with a blast out of the back bunker, where his second shot went after he drove well right under the trees at the 467-yard left dogleg. He hit made a 10-foot birdie at the 252-yard par-3 4th.
Herron got a members-like break at No. 5, the course's toughest hole. His tee shot was well right and headed toward the Trinity River, when it hit a tree and bounced back into the fairway. He saved par.
Green was 12 under when his approach at the 408-yard No. 9 landed in the pond that fronts the green. He took a drop and wound up with double bogey.
It was Green's best finish since getting into a playoff against Tiger Woods and Jose Maria Olazabal in January at the Buick Invitational. He hadn't been better than 33rd since, missing four of 10 cuts.
Players Championship winner Ames got off to a much better start Sunday with a 38-foot eagle putt at the 563-yard No. 1, and went on to a bogey-free 63.
When Ames started the third round in the last group and only a stroke out of the lead after rounds of 65 and 66, he had a triple bogey on Colonial's easiest hole and went on to a 77 Saturday. That matched the worst score of the day and dropped him into a tie for 38th place.
"It made up yesterday and that was nice. It was two complete opposites. It was unfortunate and I was disgusted with the way I played yesterday," Ames said. "But it's part of the learning curve. ... I look at it as a missed opportunity."
Defending champion Kenny Perry, who won by wide margins in 2003 and 2005 with record scores of 19 under, finished at 277 after a round of 71. It was just his second tournament since right knee surgery in March, when he didn't even get to play at Bay Hill as defending champion.
Divots: Ryan Moore, in his first tournament since hand surgery seven weeks ago, finished at 283 after a 70 Sunday. ... Two-time Colonial champion Ben Crenshaw, at 54 the second-oldest player to make the cut at Colonial, finished at 285. It was his only non-Champions Tour event other than the Masters.