NEW ORLEANS — On the verge of a collapse, Chris Couch tried to stay positive as he stood over a 55-foot chip for par on the 18th hole that he had to get up-and-down simply to get into a playoff at the Zurich Classic.

"I was thinking this would be a great way to win a tournament," he said. "It would be something I'd remember always."

Using a rare, cross-handed grip for chipping, Couch watched his lofted pitch land in the right spot and track toward the hole until it disappeared into the cup.

No way will he ever forget this week in the Big Easy.

It started a week ago Sunday on Bourbon Street when he got lost in the wrong part of town, climbed into a car with the wrong kind of people and wound up running down the streets of New Orleans until he could call police and get safely back to his car.

His heart was pumping just as fast over the final two holes, when he twice nearly threw away his first PGA Tour victory.

After sending his shot from a mud-caked bunker over the green on the par-3 17th, Couch had to make a 12-foot putt to save bogey. Then came the final act, another bunker shot that didn't reach the green, and a chip-in for par that gave him a 7-under 65 and a one-shot win over Charles Howell III and Fred Funk.

Has any winner of this event ever had a week like Couch?

"I doubt it," he said, Mardi Gras beads draped around his neck. "It's been an adventure. But it couldn't have worked out any better."

Couch finished at 19-under 269 and earned $1.08 million.

ELSEWHERE

LPGA: South Korea's Mi Hyun Kim closed with a 1-under 71 to hold off Lorena Ochoa and Karrie Webb by two strokes in the Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open at Reunion, Fla. Kim had a 12-under 276 total and earned $375,000.

Champions Tour: Jay Haas won his second straight Champions Tour title, shooting a 7-under 65 for a two-stroke victory in the FedEx Kinko's Classic at Lakeway, Texas. Haas finished at 205, while Tom Kite and Mark James were tied for second.