Davis Love III gets 20th career victory

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Davis Love III hit into the rough and a bunker on the last two holes. Then he hit the jackpot.

Love scrambled for pars on both holes and closed with an 8-under-par 64 to win his first tournament in more than two years, holding off a late challenge from Tommy Gainey for a one-shot victory Sunday in the Children's Miracle Network Classic at Disney World.

It was the 20th career PGA Tour victory for Love, giving him a lifetime exemption. Among active players, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson are the others to have won at least 20 times.

"I always questioned, 'Am I doing the right thing? Why am I still doing this?' " the 44-year-old Love said. "I didn't doubt my desire, or that I could still compete, it was just the little things I had to do."

Love finished at 25-under 263 and earned $828,000.

Love stepped in a hole playing a recreational round last year and tore two ankle ligaments.

Gainey, who had $65,405 in earnings heading into the final tournament of the year, shot a 30 on the back nine, including birdies on the final two holes, for a 64. He made $496,800 to go from No. 228 to No. 148 on the money list. That gets him into the final stage of qualifying school, and his conditional status for being in the top 150 should get him about 15 starts next year.

"I played horrible, terrible this year," Gainey said. "I had one week, and this was the week."

Jeff Overton, playing less than three weeks after an emergency appendectomy to try to secure his card, was 125th on the money list but tied for 21st to easily retain his card.

One of the biggest shots belonged to Martin Laird, who holed an 8-footer for a par on the last hole for a 71 to tie for 21st. That enabled him to move up to No. 125 on the money list and secure his full PGA Tour card for next year.

Garcia triumphs

in HSBC Champions

SHANGHAI, China — Sergio Garcia of Spain won the rain-delayed HSBC Champions to take the No. 2 spot in the world ranking behind Woods, beating Oliver Wilson of England with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff.

Garcia made a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole after Wilson missed a 10-footer.

Garcia earned $833,300 for the victory.

Garcia forced the playoff by holing a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to finish with a 4-under 68 and match Wilson (70) at 14-under 274.

Garcia's victory dropped Mickelson from second to third in the world.

Other tournaments

• Shin Ji-yai of South Korea won the Mizuno Classic in Shima, Japan, shooting a 5-under 67 to beat Mayu Hattori (71) of Japan by six strokes in the event sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and Japan LPGA. Shin finished at 15-under 201 and earned $210,000.

• Matt Bettencourt won the Nationwide Tour Championship to take the season money title, making a birdie on the final hole for a 2-under 69 and a one-stroke victory over Jeff Klauk (65) in McKinney, Texas.

Bettencourt finished at 17-under 267, earned $180,000 for the victory and won the money title with $447,863.