Duluth, GA (Best E Casino) - Ryuji Imada claimed his first PGA Tour win Sunday when he beat Kenny Perry on the first hole of a playoff at the AT&T Classic.
Imada birdied the last hole in regulation to polish off a five-under 67, then won the playoff with a par after Perry's second shot made a bizarre trip into the water fronting the TPC Sugarloaf's 18th green.
Last year, Imada lost a playoff to Zach Johnson when he put his second shot into the same water that claimed Perry's ball on Sunday.
"I never really believed in destiny, but I'm starting to believe it," said Imada, who received $990,000 for the win.
Perry, the 47-year-old veteran who was looking for his first title in three years, closed with a three-under 69 in the final round to tie Imada at 15- under 273.
Playing in the last group of the day, Perry made three birdies in four holes from the 13th to take the lead. But Imada, in the threesome ahead, birdied the 18th to tie it.
In the playoff, Perry was in better position off the tee after hitting a three-wood into the fairway. But his second shot, with a five-wood, clanked off a tree behind the green, then rolled back across it and into the water.
It left Perry in disbelief.
"I never dreamed it," said Perry, who claimed $594,000 for second place. "I must have been pumped up because it hit the tree trunk over there and shot across the green into the water. So what are you going to do?"
Imada found the rough off the tee and -- perhaps recalling how he failed to muscle his second shot onto the green in last year's playoff, finding the water instead -- laid up in the fairway.
He eventually two-putted from 26 feet for the par, claiming his first win of any kind since picking up his second Nationwide Tour title in 2004.
Imada, who played college golf an hour away at the University of Georgia, called it an "unbelievable feeling." He was also aware of his good luck.
"In the playoffs I was fortunate that my ball had a very good lie, and also I was fortunate that Kenny had to play his second shot first," said Imada. "And, you know, it was very unfortunate that it hit the tree and it went in the water. It gave me another option to lay up and play smart and get my par or birdie the normal way."
Camilo Villegas birdied five of his last seven holes and fired a six-under 66 to finish alone in third place, one shot out of the playoff at 14-under 274.
Jonathan Byrd (70) was fourth at 13-under 275, with Parker McLachlin (67), James Driscoll (67) and Justin Bolli (69) another shot further back at 12- under 276.
Overall, 18 players were separated by just six shots at the top of the final leaderboard. And for a while Sunday it looked like it could be anybody's tournament to win.
Charles Howell III had the overnight lead, but lost it early and eventually posted a 74 to finish in a tie for eighth place with Heath Slocum (71) at 11- under 277.
David Toms had an early lead, but finished with five bogeys on his last 12 holes to end seven back. Byrd and Bolli also enjoyed stays at the top of the leaderboard, only to be done in by bogeys as well (Byrd only finished fourth after making an eagle at the 18th).
And when McLachlin eagled the par-four 13th, he took a one-shot lead over six players. Three bogeys put an end to that.
Imada then shared the lead with Ryan Palmer after making a six-foot birdie putt at the 13th hole. But Palmer self-destructed with two double-bogeys in a three-hole stretch.
Meanwhile, Perry didn't join the game in earnest until his late birdie run.
He made the first at the 13th, then rolled in a 14-foot birdie putt at the 15th hole to tie Imada for the lead. Perry moved one shot ahead when he drained a 20-footer at the 16th, but two pars after that left him in the playoff.
Imada had made a four-foot birdie putt ahead at the 18th to tie him.
"I made good shots, I just didn't go all the way," Perry lamented later. "I played good coming in, made some good birdies coming in to get the lead. But somebody always plays better. It's a tough to win out here."
