US TOUR: Jim Furyk beat Trevor Immelman at the first play-off hole to capture the Wachovia Championship in North Carolina yesterday.

The pair had finished on 12-under-par 276 over the Quail Hollow course, and a par four on their second visit to the 18th on the day was enough to fend off Immelman.

In the play-off, both missed the fairway with their drives and were forced to lay up, though Furyk was much closer to the green.

Immelman failed to reach the green in three, and a simple up-and-down saw Furyk through.

Furyk had started the day on 11 under par, one clear of the South African pair of Immelman and Retief Goosen, and had come to the last trailing the younger man by a shot.

But Immelman bogeyed the hole to allow Furyk his chance.

And Goosen had a nightmare at the last, eventually holing out for a quintuple bogey nine.

That crash allowed Adam Scott to finish in third on his own on eight under.

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Mark McNulty finished double bogey, bogey to hand the Regions Charity Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, title to Brad Bryant last night.

At one stage McNulty was eight under par for the round, including nine birdies through 16 holes at the Ross Bridge course, but the double bogey at the 17th allowed Bryant to grab a one-shot lead playing the last.

And McNulty's bogey on 18 ended any chance he had of claiming the title.

Bryant was also eight under for the round and finished on that mark.

McNulty shared second place on five under with David Edwards.

Des Smyth , who had started the day in a challenging position, slipped to a one-over-par 73 to lie on six under and tied for 19th.

AMATEURS: Rory McIlroy, fresh from his successful defence of the West of Ireland title, gave his Walker Cup chances a further boost by finishing third in the Lytham Trophy yesterday.

The Holywood teenager missed out on a play-off by just a shot at Royal Lytham and St Anne's.

England's Jamie Moul closed with a 70 and then beat Scotland's George Murray, who had shot a 67, as the pair tied on five under par 279.

With two rounds on the final day, McIlroy shot a a four-under 67 in the morning to grab a share of the lead. But a level par 71 in the afternoon gave him a share of third with Scot Lloyd Saltman and England's Lawrence Dodd.

ASIAN TOUR: Hawaiian schoolgirl Michelle Wie struggled in strong winds to card a two-over-par 74 in the final round of the Asian Tour's rain-shortened SK Telecom Open yesterday in South Korea.

After becoming the first woman to make the cut at a major men's tour event in 61 years on Friday, 16-year-old Wie finished tied for 35th with a combined three under par, 12 shots behind winner Prom Meesawat of Thailand at the event in Incheon, west of Seoul.

Rain washed out play on Saturday and organisers reduced the tournament to 54 holes.