FINDLEY LAKE, N.Y. -- John Merrick calmly tapped in a two-foot par putt on the third playoff hole to defeat Gavin Coles and win the Nationwide Tour’s Peek‘n Peak Classic on Sunday. Merrick and Coles rushed to beat the darkness on a day that saw more than five hours of rain delays and came close to being stopped before it really got started.

After starting and stopping play twice, the majority of the field didn’t get on the Peek‘n Peak Resort Upper Course until the late afternoon with the final twosome not hitting their first tee shots until just before 5 p.m. At one point, Tour officials were less than 30 seconds from stopping play in the afternoon, which would have ended the event and given the win to the 54-hole leader, local favorite Andrew Pratt.

“I really didn’t think we’d get it in,” said Merrick, who collected $100,800 and jumped to No. 10 on the season money list. “It’s all happened so fast that I still can’t quite believe it. Two hours ago I was walking off the 10th green and I was pretty much out of it because my putter was so cold.”

Coles, battling a stomach virus all day, posted a bogey-free round of 67 in the rain-delayed final round to finish at 11-under-par 277, and then had to wait and see if anyone could catch him. Merrick, a 24-year-old Tour rookie, birdied four of the last five holes in regulation, including a six-footer at the final hole to shoot 68 and join Coles in the playoff.

With darkness looming, Merrick rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole, forcing Coles to make his two-footer for birdie and continue things.

“I don’t know how I made that one,” said Merrick. “I saw he was in kick-in range and I thought to myself that I haven’t made a long putt all week and now would be a pretty good time to make one.”

Merrick missed a sliding 5-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole that would have ended things, but instead sent the pair to the 174-yard, par-3 10th. There, Coles’ tee shot found the heavy rough to the left of the green.

“I knew if I got the ball on the green it would put pressure on Gavin,” said Merrick.

Coles’ chip failed to reach the green and when he missed his 20-foot par putt, the UCLA grad had only to tap in for his first Tour win.

“Man, I’m still shaking. This is great. Awesome,” said the California native. “A dream come true. It hasn’t sunk in yet. I feel like I’ve been an underachiever a little so it’s nice to have all the hard work validated.”

Andrew Buckle matched the course record with an 8-under-par 64 and posted a 10-under par total before the final groups could make the turn. Buckle’s score looked like it would hold up and get the Australian into a possible playoff, until Coles birdied Nos. 15 and 17 to better his countryman.

That left it up to Merrick to play catch-up.

“I told my caddie that we had five holes to go and that I was going to birdie all five of them,” said Merrick, who was even-par for the day walking off the 14th tee. “I didn’t do it but I came close. I don’t know what happened but something clicked there.”

Fourth-round News and Notes: Play began at 7 a.m. but was suspended from 7:45 to 10 a.m. due to thunderstorms in the area. Play was suspended again at 11 am and finally resumed for good at 2 p.m.