KAPALUA (Hawaii), Jan 9: Stuart Appleby, ice-cool at the wind-buffeted Kapalua Resort, edged out Vijay Singh in a playoff to clinch a record-equalling third successive Mercedes Championships title on Sunday.

The 34-year-old Australian birdied the first extra hole after the pair had finished regulation play at eight-under-par 284, Appleby closing with a 71 and world number two Singh charging up the leaderboard with a best-of-the-week 66.

Two strokes ahead overnight, Appleby became the second player to win the PGA Tour’s season-opener three years in a row, almost holing out from a greenside bunker to set up his second birdie of the day at the par-five 18th.

Singh, who had trailed Appleby by five shots at the start of the day, had a chance there to take the playoff into a second extra hole but missed his own birdie attempt from nine feet.

Appleby, delighted to be described as the King of Kapalua, earned a cheque for $1.08 million plus a Mercedes-Benz sports car after clinching the seventh PGA Tour title of his career.

American Gene Littler won the event at Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas from 1955 to 1957 when it was known as the Tournament of Champions.

Jim Furyk, the 2001 winner, returned a fourth successive 72 to finish third on Sunday at four under with U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell (75) a further two strokes back in a tie for fourth with American Vaughn Taylor (71).

Only six players in the elite, winners-only field of 28 finished under par with American Jason Gore the worst of the lot, trailing Appleby by 36 shots after rounds of 80, 80, 81 and 79.

Appleby, who won at Kapalua in much calmer conditions by a shot in 2004 and by the same margin last year, began the day at six under.

He moved to eight under for the first time when he holed a 70-foot eagle putt from just off the green at the 532-yard fifth.

However, he slipped back when he three-putted at the par-four seventh.

After reaching the turn in one-under 35, he experienced a roller-coaster back nine, bogeying 11 and 13 but picking up shots on 12, 15 and at the last.

Singh launched his red-hot run with his first eagle of the week at the par-five fifth, striking a superb second shot from 217 yards to within three feet of the flag.

He nearly drove the green at the 398-yard sixth, chipping to two feet to set up a comfortable birdie three.

The three-times major winner, boosted by some superb approach play, picked up further shots at eight, 12, 15 and 16 to forge two clear of Appleby before opening the door with a bogey at the par-four 17th.

Both players birdied the last to take the tournament into extra time.

Leading scores:

Stuart Appleby wins play-off at the first extra hole

284 Stuart Appleby (Australia) 71 72 70 71, Vijay Singh (Fiji) 70 74 74 66

288 Jim Furyk (United States) 72 72 72 72

290 Vaughn Taylor (United States) 74 73 72 71 Michael Campbell (New Zealand) 72 72 71 75

291 Lucas Glover (United States) 74 73 70 74

293 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 71 74 73 75

294 Justin Leonard (United States) 72 78 72 72

295 Bart Bryant (United States) 74 72 76 73

296 Peter Lonard (Australia) 74 74 73 75

297 Tim Petrovic (United States) 74 77 74 72 Wes Short Jr. (United States) 73 73 75 76

298 David Toms (United States) 71 73 79 75 Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) 75 72 74 77

299 Jason Bohn (United States) 76 70 78 75 Mark Calcavecchia (United States) 73 74 73 79

301 Robert Gamez (United States) 77 76 73 75 Olin Browne (United States) 69 76 76 80

302 Kenny Perry (United States) 74 77 77 74 K.J. Choi (South Korea) 75 74 77 76

305 Carl Pettersson (Sweden) 71 85 75 74

306 Ted Purdy (United States) 73 75 77 81

309 Heath Slocum (United States) 74 81 78 76 Brad Faxon (United States) 82 78 75 74

310 Ben Crane (United States) 79 78 78 75

312 Fred Funk (United States) 76 82 78 76

318 Sean O’Hair (United States) 77 79 80 82

320 Jason Gore (United States) 80 80 81 79. —Agencies