Golf:Brandt Snedeker won The Heritage in a play-off with overnight leader Luke Donald on Sunday, denying the English player the chance to become world number for the first time. Snedeker clinched his second PGA Tour title at the third extra hole.

The American safely parred the par-four 18th after narrowly missing a birdie attempt from 15 feet. Donald bogeyed the hole after hitting his approach into a greenside bunker from where he was unable to get up and down from a buried lie, lipping out with his par chip from the fringe.

In late afternoon sunshine at Harbour Town Golf Links, the first two play-off holes were halved in nerve-jangling fashion as Snedeker and Donald each began birdie, par. Donald pumped his right fist in delight after sinking a downhill birdie putt from 12 feet at the first extra hole, also the 18th, before Snedeker followed suit from 10 feet.

They then parred the short 17th, Donald getting up and down from the front greenside bunker and Snedeker two-putting from just off the green.

The pair had finished the 72 regulation holes on 12-under-par 272, world number three Donald parring the last for a one-under 70 and Snedeker closing with a sizzling nine-birdie 64. Tommy Gainey, bidding for his maiden PGA Tour victory, finished alone in third place at 11 under after closing with a 68.

A stroke in front going into the final round, Donald slipped back early on to trail two different leaders - Snedeker and Ricky Barnes - on a wildly fluctuating afternoon before regaining his poise on the back nine.

He knocked in an 18-foot birdie putt at the 13th to draw level with Snedeker at 12 under and then narrowly missed a birdie opportunity from seven feet at the 16th to claim the outright lead.

Donald again seemed to be in trouble at the last where his approach ended up in the front bunker but he coolly got up and down from there to take the tournament into a play-off.

Snedeker, a distant six strokes off the pace after the third round, birdied five of the first seven holes before reaching the turn in six-under 30 to surge into title contention. Although he failed to maintain that red-hot momentum over the back nine, he knocked in a 12-footer to birdie the last and hold the clubhouse lead at 12 under.

Snedeker then had to wait for almost two hours to see if he would be overhauled by any of the later starters.