Daniel Chopra won the Mercedes-Benz Championship on Sunday after coming out on top in a play-off with Steve Stricker at Kapalua.

The Swede outlasted Stricker with a tap-in birdie on the fourth play-off hole, the par-five ninth, to snatch his second career PGA Tour win.

Chopra, who posted a closing 66 and Stricker, who blazed home with a sizzling 8-under 64 at Kapalua's par 73 Plantation Course, both finished at 18-under-par 274.

Stephen Ames shot 66 to finish third at 17-under and fellow Canadian Mike Weir, who entered the final round with a one-shot lead, finished fourth at 16-under 276 after a 70.

Ranked 130th in the world coming into the event, Chopra's victory also earned the Swede his first trip to the Masters.

"I got a golf course today that was just right up my alley,'' Chopra said.

"This one was just built for me. It was an unbelievable day, really. I felt very comfortable all week, really. I guess the win made me more comfortable.''

Chopra could have wrapped up the win on a few occasions before he actually did, but he could not make a birdie at 18 when he really needed one.

He had a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation to win, but it stopped just short of the cup.

The playoff started back at 18 and Chopra left his eagle putt some almost eight feet short and he burned the edge to the right.

"I was nearly positive I was going to make it,'' Chopra said.

"Those putts, the first one in the playoff, I thought I hit a beauty. I hit the ball to the left. We were positive mine was going to go that way, too. And it just hung up on that high side.''

Stricker had not birdied 18 all week but he finally did to close his final round on Sunday and get to 18-under. Now tied for the lead, Chopra made a three-footer for par at 17 and parred 18 to force a play-off.

Stricker said: "This is definitely a good start for the season, a little bittersweet again today where I played a great round and ended up with some opportunities in regulation to make a couple more birdies coming down the stretch, hit good putts, but I can't be disappointed.

"It was a great start to the year. I mean, I can be a little disappointed, I guess, because I didn't win. But again, it was a good start.''

Collated final-round scores (US unless stated, par 73):

274 Daniel Chopra (Swe) 69 72 67 66 Steve Stricker 73 69 68 64 (Chopra won at fourth extra hole)

275 Stephen Ames (Can) 72 67 70 66

276 Mike Weir (Can) 71 67 68 70

278 Nick Watney 68 72 67 71, Hunter Mahan 73 72 69 64, Jim Furyk 74 70 66 68

279 Justin Leonard 73 68 69 69, Charles Howell III 74 70 68 67

280 Mark Calcavecchia 75 66 71 68, Brandt Snedeker 71 69 70 70

281 Aaron Baddeley (Aut) 70 71 73 67, Vijay Singh (Fij) 74 70 67 70, Chad Campbell 75 68 68 70

282 Angel Cabrera (Arg) 70 71 70 71, Jonathan Byrd 70 69 69 74

284 Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 72 74 69 69

286 Woody Austin 73 74 69 70, Scott Verplank 73 70 72 71

287 Charley Hoffman 75 72 70 70, Zach Johnson 76 67 71 73, Steve Flesch 72 70 71 74

288 Boo Weekley 80 74 68 66, Brian Bateman 76 70 72 70

290 George McNeill 74 69 72 75, Fred Funk 75 71 72 72

291 Mark Wilson 74 72 73 72

292 KJ Choi (Kor) 79 75 69 69, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 76 75 73 68

294 Paul Goydos 81 73 67 73

296 Joe Ogilvie 75 73 74 74