Fabian Gomez showed nerves of steel in a play-off against Brandt Snedeker to win the Sony Open and seal his second win on the PGA Tour, adding to his 2015 FedEx St. Jude Classic triumph.
Gomez entered the final round in round 14 but carded a remarkable 62 to finish 20 under, tied with Snedeker who shot 66 on the final day. The Argentinean scored a birdie on hole three and carded seven-straight birdies from hole six to 12.
Bogeys on holes 13 and 14 unsettled Gomez but he showed remarkable composure under pressure from the chasing Snedeker to recover on the back four, shooting par on holes 15 and 16 before finishing his round with two-straight birdies on the final two holes.
Snedeker only carded the one bogey on hole four, but was almost faultless for the remainder of the round, scoring birdies on holes nine, 10, 14 and 16 before finishing the round with a simple four-foot, two-inch putt to force the play-off.
Snedeker boasted a 2-0 record in play-offs, but it was Gomez who would prevail as he shot a par in the first play-off hole - which his American opponent matched with a long-range putt.
The Argentinean upped the ante on the second play-off hole, shooting a birdie which Snedeker could not match as he missed a 10-foot putt to force a third hole.
Gomez was delighted with the emotional win.
"I felt pretty good during the round," Gomez said. "When I hit those two bogeys, it hurt my momentum and I was feeling a bit nervous. But the birdie putt on 17 gave me the confidence I needed."
Gomez dedicated the win to the late father of his caddy, who passed away a few weeks ago.
Zac Blair finished third at 19 under after firing a three-under 67 on Sunday. The second-year PGA Tour pro hit an excellent shot with his hybrid from just of the green on the par-three 17th hole, but his birdie bid just missed.
The shot also caused some controversy because the grip of his club appeared to be resting against his stomach, which would have violated the new anchoring ban, but it was inconclusive and he was not awarded a penalty.
The American had a 15-foot eagle chance on the final hole which, had he converted, would have seen him join Snedeker and Gomez in the play-off, but his effort came up just short.
A double-bogey on the eighth hole wrecked Kevin Kisner's day as the favourite had to settle for fifth with a final score of 15 under.
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