Leonard Thompson birdied his final hole to force a play-off and twice again in a sudden-death play-off to defeat Japan's Isao Aoki and win the Hobbit's Glen Senior PGA Classic yesterday.

Thompson's only two Senior PGA titles have come with birdies on the second hole of sudden-death play-offs against Aoki. The first came in 1998 at the rain-shortened Burnet Classic.

Thompson, a 53-year-old American, birdied at the par-five 18th hole to reach the play-off with Aoki, who began the round three strokes off the pace.

After both players birdied the 18th hole to open sudden-death, Thompson birdied it again to win $202,500 at the $1.35 million event.

"All of our professional lives, we're taught not to show emotion and stay level," said the normally stoney-faced Thompson. "If you get too high with a good shot, you'll get too low with a bad one. It's why it looks like I'm not having fun. But I had a blast out there. That's what it's all about."

Aoki (57), closed with a seven-under 65, but remains winless since 1998 on the Senior PGA circuit.