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Florida - American Robert Garrigus won his first PGA title on Sunday at the season-ending event at Disney World while countryman Roland Thatcher sank a tension-packed putt to earn a 2011 tour spot.
Garrigus fired an eight-under par 64 to finish 72 holes on 21-under 267, three strokes ahead of 54-hole leader Thatcher, who endured a roller coaster ride worthy of the adjacent amusement park to keep his PGA berth next year.
"You will never see a happier guy who just vomited away a tournament than I am right now," Thatcher said. "I've got nothing but happiness for not having to go through 'q-school' and being fully exempt on tour for next year."
It was a redemption victory by Garrigus, who led by three at Memphis last June only to triple bogey the 72nd hole and lose in a playoff.
"It feels so good to finish this off," Garrigus said. "I said I wasn't going to finish it off the same way as last time. It's unbelievable. It's great to know I will still be fine regardless of what happens out here."
Thatcher led by four strokes when the day began and needed only to finish solo second or better at the $4.7 million event to be among the top 125 US PGA money winners for the year and avoid a qualifying school tournament.
Garrigus birdied four holes in a row stating at the second and four more in the last 12 holes, including the 17th, to pull away and leave Thatcher in a fight with a handful of rivals to complete a fairy-tale finish as a runner-up.
Thatcher, who began the week 179th on the money list and using the event as a qualifying tournament tune-up, began the back nine with back-to-back birdies before taking a bogey at the par-3 12.
Bogeys at 16 and 17 put Thatcher in jeopardy as the money list projections changed with nearly every stroke. He missed a three-foot par putt at 16 and when Spencer Levin birdied 17 and Thatcher missed an eight-footer for par at 17 they were level for second and Thatcher was set to miss the top 125.
But Levin finished with a bogey and set up Thatcher with a five-foot par putt at 18 to decide his fate for 2010. The putt rolled in the middle of the cup and Thatcher's fairy-tale was complete.
"I'm completely and totally spent," Thatcher said. "I'm so excited I don't have to play competitive golf again until January."
Thatcher knew the drama well. He missed the cut at Disney last year but clung to 121st and a 2010 berth when rivals could not pass him.
Thatcher's final-round par 72 left him alone in second, one stroke ahead of countrymen Spencer Levin, Johnson Wagner and Rickie Fowler. Thatcher finished 122nd on the money list while Wagner was 126th, just missing a 2011 tour spot.
Wagner, who began the week 153rd, fired a 67, the same score as Troy Merritt, who finished 125th on the list by sharing 30th.
"I definitely didn't think it would take 67," Merritt said. "I just went out and played some good golf, made some birdies. I'm drained. It has been an exhausting week."
American Michael Connell, never in the top five at a PGA event, shared seventh on 273 to jump from 129th to 115th and secure his place for next year.
267 - Robert Garrigus 68-65-70-64
270 - Roland Thatcher 65-63-70-72
271 - Spencer Levin 68-68-67-68, Johnson Wagner 70-65-69-67, Rickie Fowler 66-70-69-66
272 - Mark Wilson 69-66-69-68
273 - Chris Stroud 62-70-70-71, Michael Connell 71-68-67-67
274 - Steve Marino 72-68-65-69, Charles Warren 67-70-69-68, Charles Howell 68-69-69-68
275 - Vijay Singh (FIJ) 69-71-68-67, John Senden (AUS) 69-69-67-70, Rory Sabbatini (RSA) 67-71-66-71
279 - Cameron Percy (AUS) 66-71-69-73
280 - Brenden Pappas (RSA) 66-71-70-73, Brendon de Jonge (ZIM) 72-65-71-72
282 - David Lutterus (AUS) 68-70-73-71
283 - Mathew Goggin (AUS) 70-68-73-72
284 - Greg Owen (GBR) 69-68-75-72
285 - Charlie Wi (KOR) 72-68-70-75
286 - Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 70-71-74-71, Aron Price (AUS) 69-71-72-74
288 - Jesper Parnevik (SWE) 74-66-73-75
