• Tournament of Champions, Round Four

McDowell magic not enough in Hawaii

ESPN staff
January 10, 2011
Jonathan Byrd shows off his trophy and his lei © Getty Images
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Graeme McDowell's unbelievable 11-under round left him one short of the leaders in the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii but Jonathan Byrd was left to beat Robert Garrigus in a play-off to take the crown.

Overnight leaders Byrd and Garrigus each recorded impressive rounds of 67 to stay all locked up at the end of 72 holes and Garrigus' putting gaffe at the second play-off hole handed Byrd victory.

Byrd qualified for the tournament by winning a play-off in Las Vegas where he landed an incredible hole-in-one in fading light, but this victory could not have been in more contrast as he recorded a par at No.1 only to watch Garrigus miss a three-foot par putt.

The pair might have been thankful they did not have a red-hot McDowell to contend with after the Ulsterman stormed to 23-under with 11 birdies in a bogey-free round. He recorded two runs of four straight birdies but ultimately needed one more to join the play-off.

US Open champion McDowell, who narrowly missed a 10-foot birdie putt at the final hole, said: "It was just a fun day out there. This golf course is just 'green light' all day. You can see from the scoring, there's a lot of birdies, and it's a lot of fun."

The only other player to better Byrd and Garrigus on Sunday was Ian Poulter, making it a positive day for the Britons. His eventful 66 took him to 18-under and a tie for sixth overall.

England's Justin Rose also joined in with a 68, leaving him to rue his first-round 75 that blighted an otherwise consistent tournament of low scores.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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