Golf-Gamble at 17 spurs Villegas to playoff victory

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

ATLANTA, Sept 28 (Reuters) - A bold decision to aim straight for the flag at the tricky par-four 17th helped Colombian Camilo Villegas seal a playoff victory over Sergio Garcia at the Tour Championship on Sunday.

Villegas struck a superb seven-iron approach from the first cut of rough to 12 feet and calmly holed the birdie putt.

That put him level with Garcia, who was playing in the group behind, and the Colombian went on to par the 18th hole twice in succession to edge out the Spaniard for the title.

"Probably the shot of the tournament right there," Villegas told reporters of his second shot at the 455-yard 17th.

"There's a great chance the ball is going to plug if it comes up short in that bunker, a yard long and it's in the water. So it's just hit and beg. It happened to be just fine."

All week, Villegas had played safely for the heart of the green on 17, content to come away with a two-putt par.

"And when we got there, it was probably the right thing to do, too," he said of Sunday's final round.

His caddie, Gary Matthews, advised him to aim for a television tower with his second shot to leave a 30-foot putt coming down the slope.