Notes: AT&T Classic, Rd. 4

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Ryuji Imada closed with brilliant rounds of 66-67 to win the AT&T Classic. (Getty Images)

AT&T CLASSIC, final round: Leaderboard | Groups to watch | XM radio

INTERNATIONAL INVASION: Ryuji Imada becomes the ninth international player, from the seventh different country, to win on the PGA TOUR this year. Here's the breakdown:

IMADA WINS WITH PAR: A simple par won it for Ryuji Imada, who played the 18th safely after Kenny Perry drowned his approach shot. Perry nearly parred the hole despite the penalty -- he had a 15-foot par putt but missed it. The win is the first for Imada, who becomes the fourth straight under-35 winner on the PGA TOUR. It also avenges his playoff loss in the AT&T Classic last year to Zach Johnson.

PLAYOFF UPDATE: While going for the green in two, Perry's approach hit a tree to the front right, bounced off, rolled off the green and into the water. Imada then opted to lay up.

THIRD OVERTIME FOR PERRY: This is just the third PGA TOUR playoff Kenny Perry has been involved in since turning pro in 1982. He lost the 1996 PGA Championship in a playoff to Mark Brooks, who birdied the first extra hole.

PLAYOFF: Kenny Perry barely missed a 27-footer which would have won the tournament in regulation. Instead, he and Ryuji Imada will go back to the 18th tee for a playoff. This is the second straight year Imada will be in a playoff here -- he lost last year when Zach Johnson birdied the first extra hole. Imada has never won on the PGA TOUR, but he does have three runner-up finishes, including two this year.

IMADA BIRDIES 18: Ryuji Imada easily made 4 on the 72nd hole to move to 15 under. Perry will need to match his birdie to win outright.

ZACH OVER PAR: Defending champion Zach Johnson finally saw his streak of 11 consecutive under-par rounds at TPC Sugarloaf come to an end Sunday with his 1-over 73. His last over-par round prior to Sunday was a 3-over 75 in the first round of the 2005 AT&T Classic. -- (3:10 p.m.)

PLAYOFF? In the event of a tie, the playoff will start at the par-5 18th, then go to the par-4 17th if necessary. -- (3:05 p.m.)

PERRY IN FRONT: Kenny Perry has moved in front with a birdie at the par-3 16th, He stuck his drive 20 feet from the hole and nailed the birdie putt. He's now at 15 under with two holes to play. -- (3:05 p.m.)

CALL ANSWERED: Kenny Perry wasn't afraid to step up to Ryuji Imada, and with a birdie on the 15th hole he is now tied for the lead. Don't forget about Camilo Villegas, though, who -- with a birdie on No. 16 -- has also grabbed a share of the lead. -- (2:55 p.m.)

IMADA ALONE: Parker McLachlin three putted the 18th hole, ending his round with a bogey and dropping back to 12 under in a tie for fourth place. Who will step up to challenge Imada now? -- (2:48 p.m.)

MORE MOVEMENT: Ryan Palmer double-bogeyed the 14th hole, dropping back to a tie for fifth on the leaderboard and giving Parker McLachlin and Ryuji Imada the motivation they need to keep hunting that first PGA TOUR win. -- (2:30 p.m.)

CROWDED AGAIN: Parker McLachlin has dropped a shot at the 16th, while Ryan Palmer and Ryuji Imada both birdied the short par-4 13th. Palmer and Imada now lead at 14 under, with McLachlin now at 13 under. Meanwhile, five players are still at 12 under. Ready for a shootout? -- (2:01 p.m.)

HERE COMES CAMILO: Watch out for Camilo Villegas, who is making a back-nine move. He has just dropped in three consecutive birdies and now stands at 12 under, two shots off Parker McLachlin's lead.

Also keep an eye on Ryan Palmer, who has tied Ryuji Imada at 13 under. -- (1:44 p.m.)

HOWELL DROPS OFF: Of the top 21 players currently on the leaderboard, only one is over par for his round Sunday -- third-round leader Charles Howell III.

Howell is 2 over through 10 holes, having bogeyed the first, fourth and ninth holes. He's still at 11 under for the tournament, but he needs a sizzling back nine to climb back into contention. -- (1:34 p.m.)

GIVING ONE BACK: Parker McLachlin just bogeyed the par-4 14th while Ryuji Imada just birdied the par-3 11th. That closes McLachlin's lead to one shot. Each player is looking for his first PGA TOUR win. -- (1:29 p.m.)

PULLING AWAY: It appeared we were headed for a logjam going into the final few holes, but Parker McLachlin is threatening to take the drama out of the back nine. He just eagled the par-4 310-yard 13th by holing out from 75 feet from a green-sized bunker. That puts him at 15-under -- three shots in front -- with five holes left on his round.

By the way, McLachlin is 8 under for the day and is threatening the course record of 9-under 63.

-- (1:10 p.m.)

BOLLI INFO: Five things you should know about Justin Bolli, who is in contention going into the back nine at TPC Sugarloaf:

1. He played golf at the University of Georgia, but he had to walk on three times.
2. He has won three times on the Hooters Tour and twice on the Nationwide Tour, including last year at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic. He finished eighth on the Nationwide Tour money list to earn his TOUR card for this year.
3..He lives in Duluth, Ga., but not in the TPC Sugarloaf area.
4. His best PGA TOUR finish is a tie for 15th in this tournament in 2005.
5. His father played professional soccer. -- (12:47 p.m.)

FINISHING HOLES: If the AT&T Classic comes down to the final three holes, who has the advantage? Here's how the players currently either tied for the lead or within one shot have played the final three holes at TPC Sugarloaf in the first three rounds this week:

UPDATE: David Toms has taken over the outright lead at 13 under with birdies at the par-4 first hole with an eight-foot putt and the par-5 fourth when he layed up and hit his approach shot to within three feet.

Justin Bolli also has made a move, overcoming a birdie on the opening hole with consecutive birdies on the ensuing three holes. Parker McLachlin also has made a move; he's 3 under for his round through the first eight holes. -- (11:55 a.m.)

WATER AVOIDANCE: To reach the green at the 189-yard par-3 11th, players have to hit over the water that covers the entire expanse between tee and green. In 304 tee shots taken in the first two rounds, not a single ball landed in the water. But in Saturday's third round, with the pin tucked close to the water, three of 76 tee shots got drenched.

But on Sunday, it's more likely the players will find sand than water, with the pin located in the left-back of the green near the long protective bunker.

If players are going to hit in the water in the final round, it'll likely be at the par-5 18th. The pin is tucked dangerously close to the edge of the water, and if you need a low score on the closing hole, you may need to go for the green in two. -- (10:56 a.m.)

54-HOLE LEADERS: With the outright third-round lead, Charles Howell III has some favorable percentages in terms of holding on to this lead in the final round.

Since 1997 when TPC Sugarloaf first hosted the AT&T Classic, there have been six outright leaders going into the fourth round ... and five have gone on to win. The only one who didn't was Lee Janzen, who held a two-shot lead in 2003 but eventually finished tied for 13th.

Here's a list of those third-round leaders:

THEY'RE OFF: All the groups are now on the course, with the threesome of third-round leader Charles Howell III, Kenny Perry and David Toms just teeing off on No. 1. It could be imperative to get out to a good start before the winds pick up in the afternoon; estimates are gusts up to 30 miles per hour. -- (10:15 p.m.)