VERONA – Even though the Turning Stone Resort Championship ended in nice, crisp, autumnal conditions, the grounds are still soggy and muddy. Not 2009 U.S. Open Bethpage mud, but mud nonetheless.  Lift, clean and place remained in effect Monday morning for the playoff between Vaughn Taylor, 33, and Matt Kuchar, 31. A good, early morning crowd on hand, and live coverage on Golf Channel at 8:30am.

13th, Par-4, 416-YARDS MONDAY

On the 13th, Taylor hit a nice, easy drive down the middle and Kuchar found the rough on the right hand side.  The roles were reversed for their second shot as Taylor came up short and Kuchar got to the edge of the green. Taylor’s third was a 60-degree wedge and put it just past the hole to about six-feet. Kuchar, who uses a short, 30-inch putter, is number one in putting in the field this week. He chose to putt from off the front and put it past the hole about three feet. Taylor tapped his third past the hole on the quick green. Taylor ranks 16th on the PGA Tour in putting average. Sunday, he took just 25 putts, going 3-for-3 in the 10-15 foot range and 13-for-15 inside of 10 feet. Taylor tapped in a two-footer for bodey.
Kuchar snuck his fourth just by but made his matching bogey. Now, onto 18.

18th, Par-5, 602-YARDS MONDAY

Sunday, in the first playoff hole at 18, Taylor used an iron. Monday morning he used a driver and took his smooth swing right down the middle. Kuchar used his driver and matched him, just a little shorter. His second shot wound up in first cut in front of the left greenside bunker, near where Rod Pampling made a terrific chip shot on Sunday. Taylor used that easy swing to leave his ball in front of the right bunker, leaving a tough shot just up and over. That one was similar to Kuchar’s on 18 Sunday. He put his in the bunker. Kuchar’s chip hit and rolled well past the hole. Taylor used his wedge to get it up and land it softly. Kuchar nailed his 23-footer for birdie and his smile and rosy cheeks stayed on his face. Taylor, a member of the 2006 Ryder Cup team, calmly answered with a six-footer and they moved on, making a short walk to the 12th tee.

12th, Par-5, 539-YARDS MONDAY

Rain has started again over Atunyote. Taylor and Kuchar made much better swings than the first time they played this in the playoff on Sunday. Kuchar eagled the 12th on Friday with the tees moved up. Taylor eagled it on Sunday, jarring it with a lob-wedge from 66-yards. Taylor’s second is redundant. Nice, easy swing for the man who makes his home in Augusta, GA leaving a wedge approach from 111-yards.

Kuchar put on a rain vest before hitting his second and put one in a good spot for his wedge, 100-yards out. Using a nine-iron because of the wind, Taylor landed it on the left side and brought the ball to the center of the green, but back, 22-feet. That’s the same distance when he played the 12th in the playoff Sunday night. Kuchar used a pitching wedge but the wind played with his Bridgestone ball, forcing it into the right bunker next to the green. He is seventh in sand saves for the season on Tour.
 
As rain pelted the live microphones, Kuchar almost holed his sand shot, but it rolled by. Taylor, who came into the week at 133rd on the money list, hasn’t won on tour since 2005. He left it just short and tapped in for par. Kuchar made his three-footer for par.

PLAYOFF HOLE #6: 13th

Taylor put his tee shot in the water on the right side of the fairway. Kuchar dropped his in the fairway. Kuchar put his second to the right side of the green, leaving the door open slightly for Taylor. But then me made a nice chip to two feet. Taylor rolled his four-footer past the hole for a double bogey. Kuchar tapped in from 18-inches to win.
 
He earns a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and an invitation to the SBS Championship in Hawaii for all the winners from the 2008 season. The $1.08 million dollar first prize check at Turning Stone is more than 17 regular season PGA Tour events. Second is $648,000.

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