Matt Kuchar won a darkness-halted playoff over fellow American Vaughan Taylor with a par on the sixth playoff hole to capture the PGA Turning Stone Resort Championship on Monday morning.

Taylor found the water off the tee at the par-4 13th and missed a six-foot bogey putt to take the pressure off Kuchar, who had missed two earlier chances to win the playoff but sank a three-foot par putt for the title.

"To battle so hard was pretty special," Kuchar said. "There's nothing better than coming out on top after a week of golf. It feels great. To be able to come out on top is really special."

After remaining deadlocked through two sudden-death holes Sunday, Kuchar and Taylor returned Monday morning to cool, wet and breezy conditions and battled through four more extra holes before Kuchar won his first title since 2002.

"It's hard to believe it has been since 2002. The game of golf can just reach out and beat you up," Kuchar said.

Kuchar, the 1997 US Amateur champion, won his only prior PGA title at the 2002 Honda Classic. He took home a $1.08-million top prize as well as a two-year US PGA Tour exemption from the $6-million tournament.

Taylor missed out on what would have been a third career PGA crown after titles at the 2004 and 2005 Reno-Tahoe Opens. Taylor won his first title in a playoff, the only one either had previously faced in a PGA event.

In the longest US PGA playoff since the 2004 Heritage Classic, Kuchar put himself within reach of playing the Masters for the first time sionce 2002 by jumping from 59th to 25th on the money list with four events to play.

The season-ending top 30 will receive invitations to next year's Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Taylor's Georgia hometown.

The event, which used "lift, clean and place" rules due to wet conditions, was the first of five final 2009 PGA events that many golfers use to secure playing rights for 2010 by finishing among the top 125 money winners.

Taylor improved from 131st to 72nd on the money list with his runner-up effort, likely sealing his status for next year.

Top stars such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are unlikely to play in the last events, having battled through last month's playoffs. Woods won the $10-million playoff title while Mickelson captured the Tour Championship.

Kuchar and Taylor each birdied the first playoff hole, the par-5 18th, and made pars at the second playoff hole, the par-5 12th, before Sunday's sunset forced them back to the course Monday to decide a winner.

Both men began the morning on the 13th tee as the playoff resumed.

Kuchar found the left rough but put his approach just shy of the green near the pin. A heavy hit left Taylor 30 yards from the cup and he chipped his third six feet beyond the hole while Kuchar putted four feet past the pin.

Taylor, 33, rolled his par putt three feet past the cup, leaving Kuchar a four-footer to win. But Kuchar, 31, rolled the ball two feet long and both men tapped in for bogey to remain deadlocked.

"That was a tricky little sucker," Kuchar said.

Kuchar and Taylor each made tense birdies on the par-5 18th, the fourth playoff hole, to extend the drama. Kuchar sank a 22-footer while Taylor answered from seven feet to sustain his hopes.

On the fifth playoff hole, the par-5 12th, Kuchar found a bunker with his third shot but blast the ball five feet past the cup.

Taylor was faced with nearly the same putt he had Sunday night on the same hole to win from about 22 feet. His putt was on line but stopped just short and he tapped in for par, as did Kuchar moments later to force a sixth extra hole.

Taylor fired a 66 Sunday and Kuchar shot 69 to each finish 72 holes on 17-under par 271, one stroke ahead of fellow Americans Tim Petrovic and Leif Olson.