Sabbatini holds on to win at Honda

Associated Press

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.

Walking off the second tee Sunday, Rory Sabbatini veered left and stopped, peering toward a patch of 3-foot grass and the lake behind it.

Trouble for the Honda Classic leader? Maybe. Something was rustling in the rough.

“Is that a gator?” Sabbatini said.

The South African was wise to brace himself for any menace on the PGA National course. While no reptile sightings were confirmed, Sabbatini’s five-stroke lead shrank to one in the space of seven holes, and a halt in play because of lightning delayed his march toward victory.

He turned back a late challenge from Y.E. Yang and shot an even-par 70 for a one-stroke win.

“Luckily I had enough of a cushion that I didn’t get too concerned,” Sabbatini said. “I knew going into today that if I shot even par, it was going to be tough to catch.”

He sealed the title with a 2-foot par putt on No. 18 for a 72-hole total of 9-under 271. It was his first PGA Tour victory since the 2009 Byron Nelson Championship.

Nationwide Tour

BOGOTA

Brenden Pappas was declared the winner when lightning wiped out the third round, reducing the event to 36 holes. The 40-year-old South African had rounds of 67 and 66 to finish at 9 under at Bogota Country Club. Matt Every shot two 67s to finish second. Pappas’ birdie on his 36th hole Saturday was the margin of victory over Every.