South African Retief Goosen achieved the seventh US Tour victory of his career in Tampa Bay on Sunday.
The 40-year-old won the Transitions Championship by one from Charles Howell and Brett Quigley on the same Copperhead course at the Innisbrook Resort where he captured the 2003 Chrysler Championship.
Having chipped in for birdie at nine, a 17-foot eagle putt on the 575-yard 11th proved to be the decisive blow as two-time US Open champion Goosen ended four years without a victory in America.
From one behind, he went one ahead - and although Howell caught him with his third birdie in four holes at the 14th, the American followed with back-to-back bogeys.
Goosen, whose last title came at the Africa Open in his home country in January, failed to get up and down from sand on the 16th and found dense rough by the 17th green.
However, he played a great chip to three feet and then holed from nearly five feet at the 18th to take the 972,000 US dollar first prize.
He was round in a closing 70 for an eight-under-par aggregate of 276.
Howell and Quigley both had birdie chances on the last but missed from 25 and 24 feet respectively.
Quigley was also a joint runner-up in Puerto Rico last week and has now played 342 PGA Tour events without a victory.
Fifty-year-old Tom Lehman, seeking his first victory for nine years, led overnight - but three bogeys in an outward 39 dropped him into the pack, and he was unable to fight his way back into contention.
Lehman then drove into water for a double-bogey six on the 16th and finished down in eighth place place after a desperately disappointing 75.
Charlie Wi, trying to become the second Korean winner on the circuit in three weeks after YE Yang's Honda Classic victory, took over at the top with five birdies in his first 11 holes.
But the 37-year-old then bogeyed three times, while Steve Stricker's chances went when he finished with back-to-back bogeys. They shared fourth spot with Australian Matthew Goggin.
Goosen is 20 pounds lighter than he was last year, having received a reminder from Gary Player about the importance of fitness.
"I feel I'm a little more prepared for the game than over the last couple of years," he said two months ago
"I have been working hard on my fitness and everything.
"I'm probably the fittest now that I've been in the last five years."
After his latest victory, he added: "Obviously 11 was a turning point, and I scrambled my way in. The course was not easy."
Quigley added: "I played well. I shot three under and thought that would be close, so I'm happy with how I played."
Collated final round scores & totals (USA unless stated, par 71):
276 Retief Goosen (Rsa) 69 68 69 70
277 Brett Quigley 73 68 68 68, Charles Howell III 71 66 71 69
278 Charlie Wi (Kor) 68 73 68 69, Steve Stricker 69 67 73 69, Mathew Goggin (Aus) 67 74 70 67
279 Steve Flesch 71 67 72 69
280 Kevin Na 70 72 71 67, Bo Van Pelt 71 72 71 66, Tom Lehman 68 69 68 75, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 70 67 71 72
281 Nick Watney 69 67 74 71, Rich Beem 71 67 71 72, Matt Kuchar 72 68 69 72, Jonathan Byrd 67 70 71 73, Mark Wilson 68 71 74 68
282 Kenny Perry 67 74 71 70, Jason Dufner 71 71 70 70
283 Charley Hoffman 74 68 69 72, Jeff Overton 69 70 73 71, Kevin Sutherland 69 71 75 68, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 68 70 70 75, Briny Baird 70 71 71 71, Troy Matteson 69 68 72 74, Ryan Moore 70 72 71 70, Stephen Ames (Can) 66 74 72 71
284 D.A. Points 73 69 70 72, Kirk Triplett 73 70 72 69, Aron Price (Aus) 74 69 72 69, Bill Lunde 70 71 73 70, John Mallinger 69 73 71 71, Rocco Mediate 72 71 74 67
285 Jeff Klauk 71 70 71 73, Richard S Johnson (Swe) 69 72 72 72, David Toms 68 73 68 76, Woody Austin 69 73 69 74, Heath Slocum 71 69 70 75
286 Billy Mayfair 72 70 73 71, Ken Duke 71 70 74 71, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 69 73 71 73, D.J. Trahan 68 72 72 74
287 Joe Durant 73 67 69 78, Joe Ogilvie 71 66 73 77, Steve Lowery 70 70 73 74, Tom Pernice Jnr. 70 72 71 74
288 Brendon De Jonge 68 75 72 73, Michael Letzig 69 73 74 72, J J Henry 69 68 76 75, Brian Gay 71 69 78 70, David Mathis 71 72 71 74, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 72 71 73 72
289 Spencer Levin 70 73 77 69, Jim Furyk 65 78 72 74, Cameron Beckman 69 72 74 74, John Huston 70 73 69 77, Boo Weekley 71 72 70 76, Matt Bettencourt 70 73 72 74, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 70 72 75 72
290 Tim Herron 70 70 72 78, Eric Axley 71 71 72 76, Chris Couch 70 73 72 75, Steve Elkington (Aus) 69 74 72 75
291 Jonathan Kaye 73 68 72 78, Ben Crane 68 74 73 76, Scott McCarron 69 69 77 76, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 71 72 76 72, Tommy Armour III 73 69 76 73
292 Brad Adamonis 71 71 77 73, Bart Bryant 72 70 74 76, Jason Bohn 74 68 76 74
293 Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn) 69 73 75 76
294 Will MacKenzie 70 71 75 78
304 Nathan Green (Aus) 68 74 83 79
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