CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Dean Wilson capped an arduous journey from Kane'ohe to the PGA Tour with his first victory on tour yesterday at the International.

Wilson, a 36-year-old Castle High alum, birdied the second hole of a sudden-death playoff at Castle Pines, topping Tom Lehman, who was trying to become the first Ryder Cup captain to win a PGA Tour event during his term since Jack Nicklaus won the Masters in 1986.

"There is an internal battle that you have with trying to compete with everyone else on the Mainland," Wilson said. "When I said I wanted to (play on tour) and that was my goal, it seems like I heard a lot of people saying it can't be done. You can't beat those guys, they're so good."

He is the third Hawai'i golfer to win a PGA Tour event, and first to win one on the Mainland. Ted Makalena and David Ishii won the Hawaiian Open at Waialae Country Club.

On the second playoff hole yesterday, Lehman barely missed wide on a 30-foot putt for birdie. Wilson sank a 6-footer to win.

Now Wilson can be known on the Mainland for something other than being Annika Sorenstam's playing partner. He was paired with Sorenstam when she became the first woman in 58 years to play on the PGA Tour at the 2003 Colonial.

Wilson, whose previous best finish was a tie for third at the 2004 Texas Valero Open, said playing with Sorenstam "was a great experience. But that's what I always kept telling myself: 'Dang it, I got to win a tournament so I can be known for something else.' "

He wasn't good enough in high school to get a college scholarship and wasn't good enough at Brigham Young to jump right to the PGA Tour after graduation. So, he took his game overseas, playing two years in Australia, two in Canada and four in Asia before qualifying for the Japanese tour, where he won six tournaments.

"Finally got my Tour card here just four years ago at age 32," Wilson said. "So it was quite a battle. It is just really satisfying to be here holding the trophy."

Not to mention the $990,000 winner's check. He moved up from 63rd to 21st on the PGA money list with $1.9 million in earnings this season.

He also earns a trip back to Hawai'i next year for the Mercedes Championships, the event in Kapalua for this year's PGA Tour event winners.

Lehman would've vaulted into seventh place in the Ryder Cup standings with a victory. But the captain of the U.S. team that will travel to Ireland next month to try to bring home the cup for the first time since 1999 said he had no intention of playing had that happened: "My putting is just a little bit too erratic."

It did Lehman in on the par-5, 492-yard 17th hole in regulation, where he was short on an eagle putt that would have wrapped up his first win since the 2000 Phoenix Open.

Lehman hit a 5-iron to within 15 feet and figured he had the eagle in his pocket.

"It looked so fast and it was so shiny going down the hill, and I hit a beautiful putt right on line and it came up about four inches short," Lehman said. "I was quite shocked that I could leave that putt short. I didn't think there was any way I could leave it short."

His tap-in for birdie tied him with Wilson at 34 points.

Under the special Stableford scoring system that is used nowhere else on the PGA Tour, golfers at the International get five points for eagles, two for birdies, nothing for pars and minus-one for bogeys and minus-three for double-bogeys or worse.

"It's a good thing I had this format this week," said Wilson, who would have been 9 under in stroke play, where Lehman would have won it at minus 13.

Lehman and Wilson sank 2-foot putts on the 72nd hole. Steve Flesch nearly joined them in the playoff but he missed a 12-footer for birdie on 18.

Flesch and Daisuke Maruyama tied for third place with 32 points, followed by Stewart Cink with 31.

Wilson, who now lives in Las Vegas, was playing in his 118th PGA Tour event and 25th this year.

He survived a strange afternoon. Wilson, a no-flash competitor, was teamed with Sergio Garcia, who wore fire-engine red pants. The crowds adore Garcia. As Wilson, in first place, and Garcia, in the middle of the pack, strolled to the 15th hole, fans in the gallery chanted, "Sergio, Sergio, Sergio."

The leader was virtually ignored. He didn't mind. He's used to such treatment.

"It was fantastic," Wilson said. "I had a great playing companion today. ... I laughed with him because I said, 'You know, you have the best name for golf, for people yelling and cheering for you. Dean, one syllable, kind of plain, but Sergio is great.' "

NOTE

Several golfers wore black ribbons on their caps in memory of Heather Clarke, the wife of golfer Darren Clarke. She died yesterday at age 39 after a long battle with cancer.

The Associated Press and Colorado Springs Gazette contributed to this report.