After the three most amazing holes of his life, New Zealand golfer Craig Perks finds himself in dreamland on Monday.

Not only is he more than a million dollars richer, Perks will be playing in the Masters at Augusta next month rather than watching it on television.

He will also be at Muirfield for the Open in July. In fact, he should be at every big event going in the next few years.

And all because he holed two chips and in between sank one 28-foot putt.

Perks on Sunday night became the biggest outsider to win the sport's richest tournament, the £4million Players Championship.

In a field boasting 48 of the world's top 50, the man ranked 203rd was the one who came out on top after as thrilling a finish as you could ever wish to see.

Perks trailed Trinidad's Stephen Ames - himself ranked 144th - by one standing on the 16th tee at Sawgrass, a course which tests a player's nerve like few others.

As Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and a host of other stars were thinking about what had gone wrong, Perks suddenly found everything going right.

Chipping in for eagle at the long 16th took him one in front, but still he had to face the island green 17th and then the toughest hole on the entire US Tour.

For the second day running, though, Perks then made a birdie two on the 17th to go two ahead.

Yet there was more drama to come. Needing only a bogey to win, the former table tennis champion drove into the trees, had to hack out and then sent his third shot over the green into more rough.

Jean Van de Velde at Carnoustie three years ago came to mind, but remarkably Perks then chipped in again for a two-shot win that made him, rather than Ames, the first player to make the prestigious Players Championship - golf's unofficial fifth major - his first win on the US Tour.

The first prize of £788,000 more than doubled his career earnings on a circuit he joined after first working as an assistant club professional and then travelling mini-tours to "towns you've never heard of."

Perks, who won with an eight under par total of 280, joked: "That was the easiest 72 I've ever had."

It was anything but, of course. He had seven bogeys, five birdies and that memorable eagle in a weird and wonderful closing round.

"That's by far the most difficult course I've ever played on," he added. "But I've prided myself on never giving up and I think that showed.

"I could not find the planet to save my life off the tee (he hit only four fairways all day) and missed some putts I thought I'd never miss in my career.

"But I just hung in there and hung in there and when the second chip went in I felt an incredible emotion.

"Despite all that this victory brings, the thing which means most is just showing that I can win on this tour.

"I've worked so hard and I knew I could be successful. It shows I can play with the best players in the world."

And as for Augusta in two weeks' time, he commented: "I was looking forward to seeing the changes to the course on TV. Now I'm going to see them close up, I guess."

Ames' compensation for just missing out after a superlative final round of 67, spoilt only by a closing bogey, was a cheque for £473,000.

American Rocco Mediate was third and Sergio Garcia joint fourth, but Woods managed "only" 14th place in his defence of the title.

He will be hoping to put up a much better show when he puts his Masters crown up for grabs again.

Collated final totals in the Players Championship at TPC at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States, (USA unless stated, par 72):

280 Craig Perks (Nzl) 71 68 69 72 (£788,000)

282 Stephen Ames (Tri) 74 69 72 67 (£473,000)

283 Rocco Mediate 71 70 69 73 (£298,000)

284 Sergio Garcia (Spn) 70 72 71 71, Jeff Sluman 69 69 72 74, Scott Hoch 67 77 68 72, Billy Andrade 73 69 70 72, Carl Paulson 69 69 69 77

285 Nick Price (Zim) 74 71 71 69, John Huston 73 69 73 70

286 Jerry Kelly 69 76 74 67, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 72 68 74 72, Robert Allenby (Aus) 69 73 72 72

287 Jeff Maggert 72 72 71 72, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 71 71 72 73, Jim Furyk 71 72 71 73, Tiger Woods 71 72 70 74, Shigeki Maruyama (Jpn) 72 72 69 74

288 Steve Stricker 69 74 71 74, Mike Weir (Can) 70 73 68 77, David Toms 69 72 70 77

289 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 74 72 75 68, Chris Riley 71 74 74 70, Padraig Harrington (Ire) 70 72 77 70, Bernhard Langer (Ger) 75 71 72 71, Carlos Franco (Par) 75 69 72 73, Steve Lowery 69 73 71 76

290 Scott Verplank 71 75 73 71, KJ Choi 71 75 73 71, Bob Tway 74 68 77 71, Tom Lehman 73 71 74 72, Tim Herron 71 73 74 72, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 69 74 75 72, Phil Mickelson 64 75 75 76, David Duval 68 75 72 75

291 Tom Kite 72 71 79 69, Glen Day 71 75 73 72, Brad Faxon 71 73 74 73, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spn) 73 73 71 74, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 71 72 73 75, Chris DiMarco 66 75 74 76, Bob May 73 70 73 75, Craig Stadler 71 72 72 76

292 Rich Beem 72 74 80 66, Ernie Els (Rsa) 76 69 79 68, Bob Estes 70 74 78 70, Justin Leonard 72 74 72 74, Harrison Frazar 73 71 71 77

293 Brandel Chamblee 74 69 78 72, Jim Carter 74 72 73 74, Frank Lickliter 76 70 73 74, Briny Baird 71 74 74 74, Jay Haas 71 71 74 77, Loren Roberts 72 71 73 77, Dudley Hart 71 72 72 78, Nick Faldo (Gbr) 68 73 72 80

294 Jonathan Kaye 74 72 77 73, Craig Parry (Aus) 72 73 72 77, Mark Brooks 72 70 74 78

295 Charles Howell 71 74 78 72, Kenny Perry 73 71 76 75, Joel Edwards 70 72 75 78

296 Brian Gay 69 76 80 71, Scott Simpson 72 72 76 76, Steve Elkington (Aus) 74 68 77 77, Colin Montgomerie (Gbr) 70 76 72 78, JL Lewis 74 70 71 81

297 Neal Lancaster 73 71 75 78

298 Tom Pernice 70 75 78 75, David Gossett 69 72 78 79, Len Mattiace 71 75 71 81, Mark Calcavecchia 69 70 73 86

299 Esteban Toledo (Mex) 73 72 78 76

300 Robert Damron 74 71 80 75

303 David Frost (Rsa) 71 75 75 82