Golf: Irishman plummets from lead to 33rd as Choi wins

Only a month after Rory McIlroy shot 80 to blow his chance of The Masters, Graeme McDowell had his own horror show in Florida last night.

From joint leader of the Players Championship with just 13 holes to play, Northern Ireland's US Open champion crashed to 33rd place with a 79.

Like his Ryder Cup partner at Augusta, it was the worst final round of anybody in a tournament won by South Korea's KJ Choi after a play-off with American David Toms.

But while McIlroy blamed inexperience for what happened, McDowell put his Sawgrass collapse down to fatigue. "To be honest I felt I ran out of steam a little bit," he said after completing his misery by going in water on the last two holes. "After bogeys on six and seven I felt the energy sucked right out of me. I went flat and everything I tried to do went a little wrong.

"I didn't have the energy levels to pick myself up and I tried to force the issue a little bit. I went chasing and this course will do that to you. This is going to hurt for a few hours, but we will move on quickly."

Choi, meanwhile, claimed his eighth victory in the States - more than any other Asian player and one worth more than 1?million - after a thrilling climax. Toms, without a win for more than six years, was one in front with three to go, but bogeyed the long 16th after hitting his second into the lake. Choi then made a ten-footer for a two at the 130-yard 17th, only for Toms to hole from 17 feet for birdie on the last.

They tied on 13 under and returned to the 17th, where 44-year-old Toms three-putted from 18 feet and allowed 40-year-old Choi to become the fourth successive non-American to triumph after Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Tim Clark.