LOS ANGELES – Bill Haas knows anything is possible from even the most dire positions. Remember, this is the guy only five months ago saved par with his ball partly submerged in a lake and won the FedEx Cup.

Not even Haas could have imagined such a stunning conclusion Sunday afternoon at Riviera.

In thick rough behind the 10th green, the second hole of a three-man playoff with Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley, Haas smartly played away from the flag with hopes of making par and going on to the next hole.

He wound up holing a 45-foot birdie putt across the green to win the Northern Trust Open.

“A part of me was saying, ‘I’ve done this once, let’s do it again,’ ” Haas said. “Another part of me was saying, ‘Don’t screw this up.’ ”

On No. 10, a short par 4, Haas left himself a long birdie putt that at least would assure him par. Mickelson’s flop shot landed near the hole and rolled into the back bunker. Bradley was in the bunker, and did well to blast out to 15 feet, just through the green.

Haas ended the suspense with his putt.

“I never expected to make a 40-footer, especially in that situation,” Haas said. “A little luck was involved. I guess it was meant to be.”

Mickelson, who rallied from six shots behind with a 64 to win last week at Pebble Beach, was trying to become the first player since Tiger Woods in August 2009 to win back-to-back on the PGA Tour.

“Bill hit a tremendous putt,” Mickelson said. “We’re thinking it’s a very difficult 3. It’s a defensive hole. You’re just trying to make 4, believe it or not.”

LPGA: In Chonburi, Thailand, top-ranked Yani Tseng successfully defended her LPGA Thailand title for her 13th LPGA Tour victory, birdieing the final two holes to hold off playing partner Ai Miyazato by a stroke. The 23-year-old Taiwanese star shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 19-under 269 on Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.

Former Fort Wayne resident Amanda Blumenherst finished tied for fifth after shooting a 3-under 69 in the final round.

CHAMPIONS: In Naples, Fla., Kenny Perry shot a 2-under 70 for his second Champions Tour title, cruising to a five-shot victory in the ACE Group Classic. Perry birdied three of his first eight holes, and no one ever got closer than four shots after that.

Defending champion Bernhard Langer eagled No. 17 for the third straight day and finished in second place after a 70.

EUROPEAN: In New Delhi, Jbe Kruger of South Africa won his first European Tour title, protecting his overnight lead by shooting a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory at the Avantha Masters. Jorge Campillo of Spain and Marcel Siem of Germany were two shots back in a tie for second.