JERICHO, New York (Ticker) -- Hubert Green thought Hale Irwin would win. So did Irwin. Both were wrong.

In the midst of a 22-month victory drought, Green defeated the winningest golfer in Senior PGA Tour history Sunday at the Lightpath Long Island Classic, earning his fourth career title on the seventh hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Green drained a slick, bending birdie putt from 25 feet at the par-3 18th hole and won one of the longest playoffs in Senior Tour history when Irwin missed a birdie chip. It was Green's first title since the 2000 Kroger Senior Classic.

"Very long day," said the 55-year-old Green, who won 19 times on the PGA Tour from 1971-85.

Irwin was seeking his tour-record 35th triumph but ended up dropping to 0-5 in playoffs on the elder circuit. He has lost two in the last three weeks, falling to Bob Gilder at the SBC Senior Open.

"I don't mind playoffs," the 57-year-old Irwin said. "I'm just not having much success in them."

Despite Irwin's lack of success in playoffs, Green knew who was the favorite. Irwin has won 54 times between the PGA and Senior Tours and is one of only five two-time winners on the Senior Tour this season.

"Playing Hale in a playoff isn't the first guy you want to choose," said Green, who thought the tournament was over when Irwin birdied the 15th hole in regulation for a two-stroke advantage.

Irwin thought he should have won. He led by two strokes with three holes to play but missed a five-foot birdie putt at the 16th and bogeyed the 17th.

"I felt I should have won the tournament today," he said. "Those mental lapses hurt."

Green won the event at the Meadow Brook Club's most difficult hole in the final round, sinking just the seventh birdie of the day at the 167-yard par-3. It was the third trip to the 18th hole in the playoff.

"I had seen the putt at 18 a few times today," said Green, who earned the $255,000 top prize.

The playoff fell just three holes off the longest in sudden-death history on the Senior Tour. David Graham needed 10 holes to beat Dave Stockton at the 1998 Royal Caribbean Classic.

Green began the day in a tie for the lead with Irwin. Both shot 3-under-par 68s to finish the 54-hole event at 14-under 199, three strokes ahead of Allen Doyle and Morris Hatalsky, then parred each of the first six holes in sudden death.

It was an especially long day for Green, who bogeyed two of the first six holes to fall four strokes back. But he birdied the eighth, 10th, 11th, 13th and 16th, and remained strong in the playoff, despite his illness.

"I'm a diabetic, so it was hard out there," he said. "I hadn't eaten anything since 9:15 this morning."