Later, gator: Sabbatini plays it safe in Honda win

Walking off the second tee yesterday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Rory Sabbatini veered left and stopped, peering toward a patch of 3-foot grass and the lake behind it.

Trouble for the Honda Classic leader? Maybe. Something was rustling in the rough.

"Is that a gator?" Sabbatini said.

The South African was wise to brace himself for any menace on the PGA National course. While no reptile sightings were confirmed, Sabbatini's five-stroke lead shrank to one in the space of seven holes, and a halt in play because of lightning delayed his march toward victory.

He weathered the weather, turned back a late challenge from Y.E. Yang and shot an even-par 70 for a one-stroke win.

"Luckily I had enough of a cushion that I didn't get too concerned," Sabbatini said. "I knew going into today that if I shot even par, it was going to be tough to catch."

He sealed the title with a 2-foot par putt on No. 18 for a 72-hole total of 9-under 271. The resident of Fort Worth, Texas, earned his sixth PGA Tour victory and his first since the 2009 Byron Nelson Championship.

Yang, Honda's 2009 winner, birdied the final hole for a closing 66 to finish 8-under.

Lee Westwood shot 70-284 and tied for 29th place, meaning Martin Kaymer will remain ranked No. 1. Westwood fell to No. 2 on Feb. 28 and needed a top-three finish to regain the top spot today.

Sabbatini is known for his fiery personality, outspoken nature and occasional digs at Tiger Woods, who skipped the event. But Sabbatini's demeanor was even-keel from the time he took the lead to stay on the front nine Saturday.

In other golf news:

* Brenden Pappas won the Bogota Open when lightning wiped out the third round, reducing the Nationwide Tour event to 36 holes. The 40-year-old South African had rounds of 67 and 66 to finish at 9-under. He earned $108,000 in official money, but is credited with an unofficial victory because the players failed to complete 54 holes in the scheduled 72-hole tournament. "This was a hollow victory because it's unofficial," Pappas said. "We didn't get to play 72 holes, but it's a victory nonetheless."

* The LPGA signed a 3-year deal with CME Group to be the title sponsor of its season-ending Titleholders tournament in Florida. The Titleholders is the new name for its Tour Championship, to be played Nov. 17-20 at Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando.