McLachlin finishes tied for 5th at at&t classic

Courtesy Honolulu Advertiser News Services

DULUTH, Ga. - Honolulu's Parker McLachlin flirted with the final-round lead yesterday, which included an eagle on the par-4 No. 13, but bogeyed three of his last five holes to finish with a 5-under 67 and a tie for fifth at the AT&T Classic at TPC Sugarloaf.

"You've got your nerves going," McLachlin said. "You're trying to steady yourself, but the wind is blowing so hard, it's hard to steady yourself."

McLachlin finished at 12-under 276, three strokes behind Ryuji Imada (67) and Kenny Perry (69). Imada won the $990,000 first-place check with a par on the first playoff hole.

McLachlin, who tied his best finish on the PGA Tour, earned $200,750.

The Punahou alum, who started the round at 7 under, and six behind the leader, had five birdies and one bogey on the front nine yesterday to get to 11 under and take the lead. After birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 and holing out from the bunker for the eagle on No. 13, he got to 8 under for the round and 15 under overall and a three-shot lead.

But the pressure of being in contention for the first time clearly got to McLachlin down the stretch. He bogeyed the par-4 No. 14, par-3 No. 16 and par-5 No. 18.

McLachlin outdrove his two playing partners and was in virtually the same position as the two previous days, when he made eagle and birdie at the 18th.

After Matt Kuchar and Dan Forsman both cleared the water from farther away, McLachlin stepped up to attempt the same with a hybrid.

But as he approached the ball sitting up on a high plateau, the wind suddenly shifted and started blowing right in his face. McLachlin hovered there for a good 5 minutes, first pulling a 3-wood from his bag, then switching to an iron for the lay-up.

He wound up missing a long birdie putt, then lipped out a 3 1/2-footer for par.

"I just wasn't set up right, so I had to take my medicine," McLachlin said of his decision. "I couldn't wait around 20 minutes to hit a shot," before adding with a grin, "though I tried to."

McLachlin has earned $638,398 in 12 events this season. He finished tied for fifth at the Turning Stone Championship last year, his rookie season.