Oct. 1, 2006

Madison, Miss. (AP) -- Former Clemson All-American and National Player of the Year D.J. Trahan won his first PGA Tour event Sunday with a birdie putt on the third playoff hole to capture the Southern Farm Bureau Classic in Madison, MS. Trahan defeated Joe Durant in the three-hole playoff. The event was played at the par 72 Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss.

Both golfers had tied with scores of 275 for the four days.

Trahan shot a one-under-par 71 on Sunday after rounds of 65-68-71 in the first three rounds. Trahan had a 17-foot birdie putt on the par five 18th hole to win the tournament, but he missed it by two inches, forcing a playoff. Durant had shot a 66 earlier in the day and had to wait for Trahan to finish.

Trahan won $540,000 with the victory and is now exempt on the PGA Tour for two years. He had won $474,242 all year entering the event, then more than doubled that total with the victory on Sunday.

The leader of Clemson's 2003 National Championship golf team was a wire to wire winner of this tournament, the fourth time this year a player has gone wire to wire to win a PGA Tour event. However, it was the first time since 1996 that a player had gone wire to wire to win his first PGA Tour event. Tim Herron was the last to do it at the 1996 Honda Classic. Trahan was just the second wire-to-wire winner at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic.

Trahan and Durant had to play the par 5 18th hole three times to determine the winner. Both players birdied the hole the first two times, then Trahan made a five-footer for birdie and Durant made par, the third time around, giving Trahan the victory.

Trahan's victory was the sixth by a former Clemson golfer. It marked the third consecutive year that a Clemson golfer had won a PGA Tour event. Jonathan Byrd won the BC Open in 2004, Lucas Glover won the Funai Classic in 2005 and Trahan won the Southern Farm Bureau Classic this year.