Pernice tops Haas in Charles Schwab Cup playoff
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Scottsdale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Tom Pernice, Jr. birdied the fourth playoff hole on Sunday to defeat Jay Haas and win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Playing the 18th hole on the Cochise Course at the Desert Mountain Club for the fourth time on the day, Pernice was able to make about a 6-foot putt for birdie in order to take down Haas, who had just made a long par putt to apply some pressure.
Pernice, who held a share of the third-round lead with Kenny Perry, shot a 3- under 67, while Haas, the second-round leader, carded a 4-under 66. The duo finished regulation at 11-under-par 269.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I'm just honored. It's a privilege for me to be able to be out here and play and to be able to hold up this trophy is really special," Pernice said. "Yesterday was a bit of a struggle and today I hung in there. Jay and I get together and we struggled a bit in the playoff, but I'm thrilled to death."
Perry used an eagle putt on the last hole to vault into a third-place finish at 10-under 270. Perry shot a 68 on Sunday.
Bernhard Langer, who had wrapped up the season-long Charles Schwab Cup and the money title prior to playing this week, ended in a tie for fourth with Colin Montgomerie, who finished second in the race for the cup. Langer fired a 5- under 65, while Montgomerie shot a 67.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The end of regulation was about as exciting as it gets. Playing in the penultimate group tied at minus-10 with Pernice, who was in the final pairing, Haas' second shot on the par-5 18th found a waste area in front of the green. His next shot just barely crept onto the fringe, but Haas drained the long birdie putt to get to 11-under as he flipped his putter into the air.
Pernice's second shot found the back of the green well away from the hole. His putt was wide to the right and ran about five feet past the hole. Having not three-putted all week, Pernice drained it for birdie to force a playoff.
Heading back to the 18th for the first playoff hole, both Pernice and Haas found the fairway with their drives. Haas put his approach shot just off the back of the green, while Pernice hit the green in two. They both two-putted for birdie to force a second playoff hole.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Back on the 18th again, Pernice drove his ball well right into the waste area, where it sat down in a rut. Haas put his tee shot in the rough on the left. Pernice was forced to punch out into the fairway and his third shot was hit way to the right. Taking his second shot, Haas rolled his ball through the green and into a bunker behind the green.
Pernice chipped onto the green with his fourth shot, while Haas' shot out of the bunker found the green as well. Haas just missed his birdie putt for the win to the right and Pernice was able to scramble to make his par to force a third hole.
Now on the par-3 17th, Pernice's tee shot went off the back of the green and Haas hit his shot to within 20 feet. Pernice chipped his second shot to within four feet. Again, Haas missed his putt to the right and settled for par, and then he watched as Pernice rolled his in for a par as well.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Back on the 18th one more time, both Pernice and Haas found the rough on the right. Like in regulation, Haas hit into the waste area in front of the green, while Pernice hit into a bunker to the left.
Haas barely made it out of the waste area again and his ball held up in the rough. Pernice's next shot got to within six feet and Haas' chip out of the rough was still about 20 feet short. Haas drained his par putt to put the pressure on Pernice, but Pernice knocked his in for birdie and the victory was his.
"It was certainly back-and-forth and neither one of us played terrific golf, but somehow I managed to make some pars and a couple birdies in there," Haas said. "Hats off to Tom, he's wonderful around the greens. I knew he was going to make a four there.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I had it twice in front of the green there in those rocks and I feel like I'm just going to zing it out of there and I chunked it both times."
In regulation, Pernice made birdies on one and six on the front nine and made the turn at minus-2 for the day. It was an up-and-down back nine for Pernice as he made birdies on 15, 16 and 18 to go along with bogeys on 14 and 17.
Haas made the turn at minus-2 as well after making birdies on two, six and seven as well as a bogey on four. Haas stayed strong on the back nine as he made a birdie on 11. Following six pars in a row from 12, Haas made his big birdie on the last, which led to a playoff.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NOTES: Pernice, who also won the Principal Charity Classic earlier this year, earned both of his wins in a playoff this season ... Since he finished inside the top six, Langer set the record for earnings in one season with $3,074,190 ... Langer had 18 top-10 finishes in 21 events this season ... With the win, Pernice earned $440,000 ... Haas has now finished runner-up at this event four times without winning it ... Pernice finished fifth in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race, while Haas finished third ... The Champions Tour season is over, but the National Qualifying Tournament will begin on November 20.