WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Ex-Washington Huskies golfer Troy Kelly lost on the third hole of a playoff after by far his best performance on the PGA Tour.

Rookie Ted Potter Jr. made a birdie putt from 4 feet, 10 inches Sunday to defeat Kelly on the third extra hole of The Greenbrier Classic.

Kelly, a 33-year-old from Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, entered the event ranked 464th in the world. His best finish in 33 previous Tour starts was a tie for 37th place.

Kelly, who made a 22-foot par putt on the second playoff hole to prolong the drama, earned $658,800 and an invitation to the British Open for placing second. The British Open starts July 19.

"I had a lot of fun," Kelly said. "And looking forward to kind of getting in that position some more."

According to school officials, no former Husky has won on the PGA Tour since George Bayer in 1960.

Kelly, who had hip-replacement surgery in September 2010 after being diagnosed with arthritis, closed with a 4-under-par 66 to match Potter at 16 under for 72 holes.

Left-hander Potter, ranked 218th in the world, had 64s in each of his last two rounds and delivered an eagle-birdie finish in regulation play. He earned $1.098 million.

Potter, 28, entered the tournament with five missed cuts in a row.

"When you're missing cuts every week, you get down on yourself," Potter said. "I mean, it's hard to pick yourself back up. But the plus side for me is, I was still young. I just knew I had plenty of time and just be patient and it will come back around again."

Webb Simpson lost a one-stroke lead on the back nine at the tournament for the second straight year. The U.S. Open champion made three straight bogeys, shot a 73 and tied for seventh at 11 under.

Ex-UW Husky Richard H. Lee tied for 38th place at 5 under.

Triplett triumphs

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Kirk Triplett, a Pullman High School graduate, won the First Tee Open at Pebble Beach for his first title on the 50-and-older Champions Tour, making an early eagle and closing with a 6-under 66 for a two-stroke victory over Mark McNulty.

Triplett, a three-time PGA Tour winner making his eighth start on the senior tour after turning 50 in March, finished at 10-under 206. He opened with a 70 at Pebble Beach and had a 70 at Del Monte on Saturday to enter the final round four strokes behind leaders Tom Kite and Brad Bryant.

"To win anywhere is special," said Triplett, who joined Olin Browne, Ron Streck, Keith Fergus, Tom Lehman and Gary Hallberg as players who have won on the PGA, Champions and Web.com tours. "But to win at Pebble Beach is extra special. To do it in my first Champions Tour try is great."

Triplett eagled the par-5 second hole, and chipped in on the par-4 16th for the last of his five birdies. He had one bogey in the final round, on the par-3 12th, and earned $255,000.

McNulty closed with a 69.

Triplett won the 2006 Chrysler Classic in Tucson, Ariz., for his last PGA Tour title, and took the News Sentinel Open in August to become the oldest winner in the history of the Web.com Tour, then known as the Nationwide Tour.

"I really hadn't been playing that well," said Triplett, who has four top-10 finishes on the Champions Tour. "But I'm doing a lot better lately and feeling more comfortable out there."

Choi prevails

KOHLER, Wis. — Na Yeon Choi survived a triple bogey and a few more shaky moments on the back nine to win the U.S. Women's Open at Blackwolf Run.

It is the first major and sixth career LPGA Tour victory for the 24-year-old South Korean, who entered the tournament ranked fifth in the world.

Choi shot a 1-over 73 and finished at 7 under for a four-stroke victory. Fellow South Korean Amy Yang had a 71 to finish second. They were the only players to finish the tournament under par.

Choi is the fourth South Korea player to win the event in the last five years.

Jimin Kang, a graduate of King's High School in Shoreline, tied for 21st place at 7 over.