Sergio Garcia ended a 21-year European drought when he survived windswept conditions to win the prestigious Players Championship in a playoff today.
Spaniard Garcia clinched victory at the same hole as Sandy Lyle, the only previous European winner, when he parred the famous par-3 17th at the Sawgrass TPC to end it at the first extra hole.
After Goydos found the water with his tee shot, the door was open for Garcia, and the Spaniard was not about to let it shut, punching a wedge to the middle of the green, and watching in delight as his ball fed down to the hole, nestling barely one metre away.
After Goydos, from the drop zone, missed his unlikely par attempt, Garcia, 28, trickled his putt to the edge of the cup and tapped in for par to end a drought of nearly three years since his previous victory.
He collects $US1,171,000 ($A1.25 million) for his seventh victory on the US PGA Tour.
"I want to thank Tiger for not being here," joked Garcia, who shot a final round of 71, quite brilliant in winds that gusted to more than 60km/h.
"Sergio played better than everybody. Look at the stats," said Goydos, who explained his shot into the water.
"Same club, same yardage (as in regulation). It ballooned more than the other. What are you going to do?"
Earlier, Garcia made a clutch par at the final regulation hole to stay alive.
The par-four 18th was the toughest hole on the course on an extremely windy day, and Garcia found a poor lie when his tee shot drifted into the right rough.
He advanced his second shot to within 50 metres of the pin, and then pitched to two metres.
It was a critically important putt and, given his problems on the greens over the past few years, there were few who would have put any money on his making it.
But make it he did, his stroke holding up under pressure.
Then it was up to Goydos, playing in the group behind.
He also found the right rough and bunted his ball down to within 50 metres of the hole.
But with the tournament on the line, he hit a poor pitch, catching it a little fat and coming up four metres short.
With Garcia watching from the scoring room, Goydos missed his chance to win it in regulation, his putt drifting to the right.
Goydos shot 74 to tie Garcia at five-under 283, one stroke ahead of American Jeff Quinney (70), who bogeyed the last to miss the play-off after his approach shot found the back bunker.
Stuart Appleby (76) finished best Australian, eight strokes behind in a tie for 15th.
But Adam Scott had a nightmare 80 to plunge to equal 54th at nine-over 287.
