VIRGINIA WATER, England: Luke Donald replaced Lee Westwood as world No. 1 after beating his fellow Briton in a titanic final-day shootout that went to a playoff in the PGA Championship at Wentworth Sunday. After the pair had finished 72 holes tied on 278 — six under par — Donald produced a birdie four at the first extra hole to pick up the first prize of $1.07 million. Donald, who started the week ranked second in the world, struck a majestic wedge at the 18th and the ball spectacularly spun back to finish eight feet from the hole to loud cries from the West Course crowd of ‘Luke, Luke, Luke'. Westwood played an almost replica wedge shot but his ball unluckily spun back into the moat at the front of the green and his hopes of remaining at the top of the rankings were effectively ruined. Donald, who began the round in a tie for the lead with Italian teenager Matteo Manassero, struggled off the tee all day but managed to scramble his way to a one-under 70 on another tough day for scoring at the European Tour's flagship event. Westwood notched five birdies in a 68 and had the chance to win the coveted trophy at the 72nd hole when he missed a six-foot putt. Britain's Simon Dyson (69) took third place on 280 and Australian Marcus Fraser, Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin and Ireland's Shane Lowry shared fourth spot on 282. Palmer leads Garcia American Ryan Palmer carved out a one-shot lead despite bogeying three of the last five holes in a grueling third round of the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, Saturday. On a difficult day for scoring in gusting winds at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, Palmer battled to a three-over-par 73 for a five-under total of 205. Playing partner Sergio Garcia had been tied for the lead overnight with Palmer but the Spaniard dropped one stroke off the pace after toiling to a four-bogey 74. India's Arjun Atwal, among the earlier starters, fired a best-of-the-day 67 to share third place at three under with Japan's Ryuji Imada (70). Americans Gary Woodland (68), Joe Ogilvie (72) and Matt Kuchar (68) were a further stroke back at the end of a challenging afternoon with winds gusting up to 35 mph (56kph) on a firm and fast-running layout. Garcia began the day level with Palmer at eight under overall. He slipped one behind with a bogey at the par-three second but regained a share of the lead when Palmer faltered at the sixth after missing the green to the right with his approach. The Spaniard dropped another shot at the par-four eighth, after finding a fairway bunker off the tee and failing to reach the green with his second, to trail by one at the turn. Palmer forged 2 ahead when he knocked in a nine-footer to birdie the 10th but he slid back to seven under with a bogey at the 14th where he drove into the left rough. With the final three holes playing into a daunting headwind, Palmer and Garcia each bogeyed the par-five 16th, the American having to lay up from a poor lie in the rough off the tee and the Spaniard three-putting. One ahead with two holes to play, Palmer bogeyed the par-four 18th after pushing his tee shot right into trees from where he was unable to reach the green in two. However, he maintained his 1-stroke advantage when Garcia also bogeyed the hole after ending up in the same treeline off the tee and missing an eight-footer for par.
