Mayfair Wins Nissan In Playoff

March 1, 1998 / 12:00 AM EST / AP

Tiger Woods had his game going, a hometown crowd cheering for him, and a perfect day for golf. Then Billy Mayfair spoiled Woods' anticipated victory celebration.

Mayfair, in a slump since having a banner year in 1995, calmly rolled in a 4-foot birdie putt to catch Woods on the final hole of regulation, then won the Nissan Open shortly thereafter by sinking an 5-foot birdie putt on the same hole.

Playing in the group behind Woods, Mayfair shot a 4-under-par 67 Sunday to finish at 12-under. Woods, who has finished second twice and third once in PGA Tour events this year and won a tournament in Thailand, shot a 65.

Woods birdied three of his final four holes in regulation, and Mayfair birdied No. 15 and No. 18.

Mayfair won it when he hit his wedge from 90 yards close to the pin after the pair returned to No. 18 for what turned out to be a one-hole playoff.

Woods pushed his tee shot into the gallery on the right for the second time in a row, and hit his second shot 40 yards short of the green. His next shot rolled 18 feet beyond the hole, and his putt stayed left coming back.

Mayfair, who had a career year in 1995, when he won twice and finished second on the money list with $1.4 million, since had lost his touch - and his confidence.

But, in winning the fourth title of his career, Mayfair led the first two days, lost the lead the third, then came back on Sunday to beat Woods, whom he called, "The best player on the tour."

After Woods birdied No. 18 to go one shot up, Mayfair, playing in the group behind him, hit his second shot into the sand to the left of the green, some 25 feet from the pin, with a hump between him and the hole. Needing to get down in two to force a playoff, Mayfair, one of the tour's best bunker players, lofted his wedge shot within 4½ feet of the cup, then knocked in the putt.

Woods put the pressure on Mayfair with an adventurous finish to regulation. He pushed his tee shot to the right, over the gallery and into the trees. He got a free drop because he would have had to stand on the paved cart path to hit.

Woods hit his second shot into the trap on the left of the green. His shot out of the sand skipped 12 feet past the hole and nestled up against the fringe. After all the trouble, he then curled in his 12-foot birdie putt to go to 12-under, pumped his arms in celebration, signed his card and waited for Mayfair to play 18.

Stephen Ames, the first and only native of Trinidad on the tour, finished third with a 68 that left him at 9-under. The finish was the highest for Ames, who tied for fifth at the British Open last year.

John Daly, showing signs that he's back from an ongoing battle with alcohol abuse, shot his second consecutive 66 at Valencia Country Club to move into a tie with Payne Stewart for fourth place, at 8-under. Stewart closed with a 70.

Third-round leader Tommy Armour III shot a 73 to fall into a tie for sixth.

The tournament normally is at Riviera Country Cub, but was shifted to Valencia, 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, because Riviera is being readied for the U.S. Senior Open in July. It was the first time a PGA event was held at Valencia.

Divots: Mayfair, 31, got $378,000 for winning, more than his earnings for an entire year in 1996 and 1997. Woods - returning to the site of his first PGA Tour event, as an amateur in 1992 - got $226,000 for finishing second. ... Daly said that, in his fight against alcohol abuse, he has learned to live day-to-day, which also isn't a bad approach to golf. "When I'm playing the fifth hole, I'm no longer thinking about the 16th, and how it gives me trouble," he said. ... Daly and several other of the players said they would prefer Valencia, in a relatively remote spot, over Riviera Country Club for the tournament in the future. "I don't think any of us like that drive down Sunset Boulevard, then getting to Riviera and not having a place to park," Daly said. "Everything's much more convenient here."