Woods loses in playoff

MIYAZAKI, Japan – Tiger Woods squandered a three-stroke lead with six holes left, then lost to Padraig Harrington on the second hole of a playoff Sunday at the Dunlop Phoenix.

Harrington capped a remarkable comeback with a tap-in birdie to prevent Woods from winning the $1.69 million tournament for the third straight year.

“I was struggling all day with my swing,” Woods said after a rare playoff loss. “It wasn’t just my tee shots, it was everything. I was just trying to hang in there. I gave myself a chance to win and that’s a nice positive.”

Harrington played the back nine in 4 under. The Irishman then birdied both extra holes at Phoenix Country Club. Harrington and Woods shot 3-under-par 67s to finish at 9-under 271, one shot ahead of Japan’s Keiichiro Fukabori, whose 30-foot eagle putt at the final hole lipped out, depriving him of a playoff spot.

Woods’ playoff record is 14-2 in official tournaments worldwide, the other defeat to Billy Mayfair at the 1998 Nissan Open.