VERONA, N.Y. — It had been so long since Matt Kuchar had won on the PGA Tour that a huge case of nerves was a given, especially when faced with a sudden-death playoff.

"I had a hard time falling asleep (Sunday night). My mind was racing," Kuchar said yesterday after defeating Vaughn Taylor on the sixth extra hole of the Turning Stone Resort Championship. "I was extremely nervous. It's a feeling that you don't feel very often. It's exciting to feel it. It really makes you feel alive."

Kuchar rolled in an 18-inch putt for par for the victory, just his second on tour and first in seven years.

"It's hard to describe the feeling," said Kuchar, who missed the cut at Turning Stone two years ago. "They're so difficult to win. If you don't win, there's not a whole lot of rewards. The game beats you up."

Kuchar won the 2002 Honda Classic in his first full season on tour.

That was it until yesterday.

Kuchar improved to 2-0 in playoffs, and the top prize of $1.08 million boosted his earnings for the year past $2.3 million to 25th on the money list.

On the sixth playoff hole, Kuchar got a huge break when Taylor hit his tee shot into the water hazard along the right side of the fairway on No. 13 and had to take a penalty stroke.

"Just a bad swing," Taylor said.

Kuchar hit his second shot into the rough on a slope to the right of the green and pitched inside 2 feet to set up an easy par.

Tied for the lead after 72 holes, neither player managed to win after two playoff holes on Sunday before play was suspended because of darkness.