Murray wins Sony Open in 3-way playoff; Canada's Taylor finishes 3 shots back

Grayson Murray is a PGA Tour winner again and feels better than ever about his future. The gold trophy he won Sunday at the Sony Open in Honolulu with a 40-foot birdie putt in a playoff is only a small reason for that.

Murray has been sober for eight months, tired of alcohol fuelling his arrogance in public and making him feel like a failure for wasting talent in his private moments.

He feels renewed through Christianity and is getting married in April to a woman that became a big part of a small support group.

No, winning didn't change his life. But it sure provided a big boost to his career.

"My story is not finished. I think it's just beginning," Murray said. "I hope I can inspire a lot of people going forward that have their own issues."

Grayson Murray's winning moment <a href="https://twitter.com/SonyOpenHawaii?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SonyOpenHawaii</a> is unreal ⚡️ <a href="https://t.co/mXWlIaU3Dr">pic.twitter.com/mXWlIaU3Dr</a>

Murray always looked like the odd-man out in a three-way battle at the end of the Sony Open until he delivered the goods.

His wedge into a breeze to a back pin to three feet gave him a birdie on the par-5 18th for a 3-under 67 and allowed him to join a three-way playoff with Keegan Bradley and Byeong Hun An. And then he buried a birdie putt from just inside 40 feet with An facing a four-foot birdie.

Bradley missed from 18 feet. An's short putt grazed the lip. Murray had another PGA Tour title, the other coming more than six years ago at an opposite-field event when he was a rookie.

The timing couldn't be better.

Murray, who earned his way back to the PGA Tour with two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour last year, now can bank on his first trip to the Masters in April and a spot in the seven