In the hunt from start to finish, Jonathan Byrd kept trying for an over-the-hump spark to propel him into the final mix for the Northern Trust Open title Sunday at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, CA.

Instead, a series of scrambles ended with a trio of back-nine bogeys that dropped him to eighth place, out of the dramatic finish that saw Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley push Bill Haas to a sudden death playoff before the Greenville, SC native prevailed for his first victory of the season.

Byrd shared the top spot on the leader board with Mickelson after birdying two of his first three holes. He overcame a double-bogey that put him back at even-par with a next-hole birdie, and was still within a shot of the lead before consecutive bogeys at 15 and 16 dropped him out of contention.

He finished with a two-over par 73 and was four-under for the tournament.

Also recording a top-25 finish was Kyle Stanley, whose final-round 72 left him in 24th place.

Stanley remains atop of the Fed Ex Cup Standings with 889 points. He’s followed by Johnson Wagner with 840, Mickelson with 807, Haas with 729 and Brandt Snedeker with 648. Byrd stands 28th on the list, with D.J. Trahan 46th.

At the Nationwide Tour’s season-opening Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship, former Tigers Charles Warren and Kevin Johnson tied for sixth place, three shots out of the top spot.

Johnson followed his three straight 70s with a 67 on Sunday, while Warren shot a final round 71.

On Saturday, Brent Delahoussaye won the eGolf Professional Tour’s Palmetto Hall Championship at Hilton Head Island, SC, while Stephen Poole finished 19th and David May was 49th.