Johnson a champion on Georgia turf again

Zach Johnson, who took the Masters at Augusta National in April, won the AT&T; Classic in Duluth, Ga., on Sunday, beating Ryuji Imada with a birdie on the first playoff hole at the TPC Sugarloaf course.

Johnson, also the 2004 AT&T; winner, closed with a five-under-par 67 to match Imada (70) at 15-under 273 through 72 holes.

In the playoff on the par-five 18th, Johnson hit his second shot above the pin, then rolled a 60-footer for eagle within five inches of the hole. Imada could only offer a congratulatory handshake. His tee shot landed in the left-side rough, and when he chose not to lay up, his three-wood failed to clear the water in front of the green.

The Tour Championship in September will be in Georgia too, but Johnson didn’t put stock in the Atlanta location.

“Paramount is the fact that it doesn’t matter where you play,” said Johnson, a former University of Georgia standout.

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Lorena Ochoa won for the first time since replacing Annika Sorenstam as the No. 1 player in her sport, rallying to beat Sarah Lee by three shots in the Sybase Classic at Upper Montclair Country Club at Clifton, N.J.

Ochoa finished with a 68 to win with an 18-under total of 270.

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Brad Bryant sank a 13-foot birdie putt to beat R.W. Eaks on the third playoff hole in the Regions Charity Classic at Hoover, Ala. Bryant and Eaks each shot 65 to finish at 12-under 204. Last year, Bryant closed with a 64 to win, overcoming a three-shot deficit on the last three holes.

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Padraig Harrington, 35, of Dublin became the first Irishman to win the Irish Open in 25 years, parring the first hole of a playoff to beat Wales’ Bradley Dredge at Adare, Ireland.