One year later, Brehaut was still making big putts Thursday in the Chrysler Championship - five birdies, one eagle and a momentum-saving par - that carried him to a 6-under 65 and a two-shot lead as he kept alive his hopes of getting into the Masters or even the Tour Championship.

One year later, Brehaut was still making big putts Thursday in the Chrysler Championship - five birdies, one eagle and a momentum-saving par - that carried him to a 6-under 65 and a two-shot lead as he kept alive his hopes of getting into the Masters or even the Tour Championship.
Charles Howell III did little to hurt his chances of getting to East Lake next week for the season-ending Tour Championship. Coming into the tournament at No. 30 on the money list, he took advantage of the par 5s and kept bogeys off his card for a 4-under 67.

Retief Goosen had a tap-in eagle to start his round and had a two-putt birdie on the par-5 11th set up by a two-iron from a tight lie that soared high into the air from 257 yards, a shot not many players at Innisbrook can hit. He also wound up with a 67, joined by Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman, Ben Crane and Dean Wilson.

Lucas Glover, coming off his first victory last week at Disney, and Davis Love III were among those at 68.

Mike Weir of Bright's Grove, Ont., opened with a 72.

Brehaut might not be here this week without that clutch putt a year ago.

He was 152nd on the money list when he showed up at Innisbrook, his 11th consecutive tournament in a desperate bid to keep his card. All he could hope for late Sunday afternoon was to finish in the top 150 so he could at least go straight to the final stage of Q-school. It came down to a four-foot putt that was downhill and broke sharply to the right.

"Probably the fastest putt on the course," he recalled.

Making the putt allowed him to skip the second stage of qualifying school, and Brehaut used that time to win the Callaway Invitational at Pebble Beach. That sent him to Q-school with newfound confidence, and he got his card back.

The 42-year-old Brehaut, perennially on the bubble, for the first time has no worries. He is 61st on the money list thanks to a strong summer, and now can entertain thoughts of some big rewards at the end of the year.

"This is an important week to move back up," he said.

He remains determined, proof of that coming Wednesday during his final day of practice. He thought he had his swing sorted out, but when he stopped for lunch, he started hitting it awful. While doing laundry that evening, he rushed back out to the range at twilight to find his swing, and then put in an extra hour Thursday morning.

"It's tough to play good golf when you're searching," he said.

But it helps to make putts, and Brehaut made four of them beyond 20 feet.

Howell figures there are worse places to be than 30th on the money list. He was 33rd last year - only the top 30 get into the Tour Championship - played indifferently on the weekend and missed out. The big difference this year is he his playing some of his best golf of the year.

He finished fifth in Las Vegas to move from 42nd to 30th, then tied for 15th at Disney to remain at No. 30. In his last two tournaments, Howell is 35 under par.

There's little chance of low scoring at Innisbrook, a clever course that some players rate the best in Florida on the PGA Tour because of its subtle changes in elevation, tree-lined fairways and firm greens.

"This golf course is hard, and it's made a little harder because we're coming from two tournaments where you can make a lot of birdies," Howell said.

Howell helped himself by not making bogeys, holing a six-footer to save par on the 17th.

It was plenty tough for Vijay Singh, at No. 2 the highest-ranked player in the Chrysler Championship. He missed the cut last week at Disney, and appeared to be hanging around until the final three holes. He hit into the water on the 16th and took double bogey, three-putted for bogey on the 17th and missed the 18th green for another bogey.

That put him at 74 and in a tie for 103rd place. The last time Singh missed the cut in back-to-back tournaments was in 2001 at the Canadian Open and Pennsylvania Open.

Lehman still hasn't given up the idea he can play himself onto the Ryder Cup team next year, although he said he would have to win and consider himself one of the best 12 Americans before he gave up the captaincy.

For now, his goal is to get back to the Tour Championship for the first time in four years.

"It would be nice to get back in that group," he said.

Divots: Dudley Hart withdrew in the middle of his round because of recurring back problems. Others who withdrew were Pat Perez and Thomas Levet of France, who did not cite an injury, but it was fairly clear by looking at their cards. Both had a 78. ... Jason Bohn, who is about $2,500 US behind Howell and No. 31 on the money list, opened with a 75. Peter Lonard is 32nd on the money list and shot 68.

Posted by admin at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)

August 29, 2005

Brad Faxon beats Tjaart van der Walt in Buick Championship playoff

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) - Brad Faxon's persistence at the Buick Championship finally paid off. He rolled in a three-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday, and beat South African Tjaart van der Walt for his first victory since 2001. Faxon tied the course record in regulation with a 9-under 61, a personal best for the 44-year-old. He stayed close to home for his eighth PGA Tour victory, earning a $774,000 paycheque.

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) - Brad Faxon's persistence at the Buick Championship finally paid off. He rolled in a three-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday, and beat South African Tjaart van der Walt for his first victory since 2001. Faxon tied the course record in regulation with a 9-under 61, a personal best for the 44-year-old. He stayed close to home for his eighth PGA Tour victory, earning a $774,000 paycheque.
The Rhode Islander has been a mainstay at this New England tournament, appearing 22 times. His best finish had been an eighth in 1996.
"People get excited about this tournament and I love playing close to home," Faxon said. "Nobody on tour would ever tell you anything differently. My father came today, my aunt, my uncle, my cousins are here. Great friends are here. It's just awesome."

Van der Walt shot a 64 Sunday and birdied the final two holes to tie Faxon at 14-under 266 and force a playoff back to the 434-yard par-4 18th.

Third-rounder leader Justin Rose (69) finished one stroke out of the playoff, while former British Open champion Ben Curtis (69), Jerry Kelly (77) and NCAA runner-up Michael Putnam (63) were all at 12 under.

Putnam had been at Merion last week for the U.S. Amateur when he was told he received a sponsor's exemption to the Buick Championship. He decided to turn pro and earned $177,733 in his PGA Tour debut.

Faxon thought he would be home sooner than later earlier in the week. He made the 36-hole cut on the number and was back in his hotel room packing up Friday afternoon while waiting to hear if he made it.

"This was really kind of out of the blue," he said. "The first two days I played OK. Then something happened yesterday where all the putts started going in."

On Sunday, not only did his putts fall but he took advantage of a couple of favourable rulings to save par on the last two holes. When his tee shot on No. 17 rolled about 40 yards down a cart path and damaged the ball, Faxon got to pull out a new ball and place his drop.

On the playoff hole both hit great second shots.

Faxon drove into the left fairway bunker and had 169 yards to the hole and stuck his seven-iron approach three feet from the cup. Van der Walt, unflappable all week at the TPC at River Highlands, drove it right down the middle to within 134 yards. His approach banged off the flagstick and rolled just over nine feet from the cup. The players high-fived each other as they walked up the 18th fairway to an ovation.

Van der Walt pushed his birdie putt right then stood back and watched as Faxon coolly rolled his in for the win.

Van der Walt is playing on tour with a medical exemption after a wrist injury limited him to 12 events in 2004, his rookie season. He needed to earn just over $448,000 over the next seven tournaments to keep his card for this year. No worries now for the 30-year-old, who pocketed $464,400 for finishing second on Sunday.

"I guess now I can play a little more," van der Walt said. "You work so hard to get out here and then you get hurt. It's not a nice feeling. The (tour) was nice enough to work with me on a major medical, and that's where I am now."

The field played under drizzly conditions all day and the rain-softened greens resulted in low numbers early. That allowed several to catch Rose, who began the day with a four stroke lead at 12-under. Rose didn't make a move until late in the day. He birdied two of the last four holes.

"I knew I had to go out and play a good round and make it mine," Rose said. "Guys are shooting 61 and 64 from behind you, so I needed to keep it moving forward."

Faxon has been playing on an injured right knee nearly for two years. He planned to have surgery in two weeks to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Now it seems, that will have to wait. The victory qualifies him to play in the 2006 tour opener in Hawaii.

"My wife says if we don't go to Kapalua, I'm going to kill you," he said. "So what do you think?"

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August 21, 2005

Woods overcomes shaky putting to edge DiMarco at NEC Invitational

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - The World Golf Championships were created seven years ago to bring together the best players from around the world. Tiger Woods has turned them into an annuity.
Woods overcame some shaky putting Sunday by making the one that mattered, an 18-foot birdie putt that broke sharply into the right side of the cup on the 16th hole at Firestone, sending him to a one-shot victory over Chris DiMarco in the NEC Invitational.

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - The World Golf Championships were created seven years ago to bring together the best players from around the world. Tiger Woods has turned them into an annuity.
Woods overcame some shaky putting Sunday by making the one that mattered, an 18-foot birdie putt that broke sharply into the right side of the cup on the 16th hole at Firestone, sending him to a one-shot victory over Chris DiMarco in the NEC Invitational.
"I've had that putt for three or four years, and I miss it low every time," Woods said. "I made sure I threw the ball out there a little bit more . . . and it just snapped at the end. I thought it was going to lip out, which was how my whole day was going. But it lipped in, which was sweet."

The victory, his seventh straight year with at least one WGC title, wasn't secure until Woods punched a nine-iron through the trees and onto the 18th green for a two-putt par to close with a 1-over 71.

Woods has won nine of the 18 World Golf Championships he has played, and he has earned about $11.6 million US alone from these tournaments, more than 20 per cent of his career earnings.

"You started these too late," he said.

Still, he has rarely had to work this hard on a Firestone course four times in his last six trips.

Woods missed five putts inside eight feet and trailed Kenny Perry by two shots when they made the turn. Even the birdie putt that finally gave him the lead required an approach from 189 yards over the water. And it wasn't over until he made another escape from the trees.

Woods finished at 6-under 274 and earned $1.3 million for his fifth victory of the year, one more than Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson, enough to end any debate about PGA Tour player of the year.

DiMarco, who lost to Woods in a playoff at the Masters, thought he might get another shot at him when he shot a 68 to finish at 275. Playing four groups ahead of Woods, he had a 20-foot birdie on the 18th that grazed the edge of the cup. DiMarco watched Woods play the last three holes from the dining room.

"If you're hoping for him to make bogey, you didn't do what you needed to do out there," he said.

Paul McGinley, one of four players who had at least a share of the lead, fell out of contention with a bogey on the 17th and shot 72 to tie for third with Singh (67) and Ryan Palmer (69).

Perry bogeyed five of six holes and wound up tied for sixth after a 74.

Stephen Ames of Calgary shot a 3-over 73 and Mike Weir of Bright's Grove, Ont., shot a 6-over 76 and to finish tied for 36th at 6-over 286.

It was the first time Woods won with a final round over par since he shot 2-over 72 to win the American Express Championship - another WGC event - two years ago outside Atlanta.

Blustery conditions contributed to that, although mostly it was his putter.

Woods only made the hard ones, including a 15-foot bender on the 10th hole for a two-shot lead that gave him a share of the lead with Perry. Then he missed an eight-footer for par on the 11th, and a five-foot birdie putt on the 13th that would have given him the outright lead.

"I just could not make a putt," Woods said. "Either I hit good putts that didn't go in, or I hit atrocious putts that weren't even close. It was frustrating."

Woods walked to the 14th tee tapping his driver onto the cart path until he reached the grass, when he pounded the club into the ground. He could sense the NEC Invitational slipping away.

And then he heard a groan behind him from the 17th green, and he knew the score.

DiMarco went after the flag and went long into the deep grass to made bogey. Before long, his score of 5 under was posted on the leaderboards. Woods figured birdie chances would be rare because of the tucked pins on the 15th and 17th, and because No. 18 is difficult to find the fairway.

"My realistic chance was 16," he said.

Woods now has 45 career victories, moving past Walter Hagen into seventh on the all-time list. Twelve of those have come in three tournaments, with four victories apiece at the NEC Invitational, the Masters and the Bay Hill Invitational.

In contention for the first time since the Masters, DiMarco birdied three of his first six holes to get into the mix, but made too many mistakes down the stretch - back-to-back bogeys on 12th and 13th, and missing the 17th green long, from where the best he could do was chip to 15 feet.

"Bridesmaid's getting old," he said. "Maybe this will be good for me. Maybe this will light a fire under me."

The 667-yard 16th hole proved pivotal for Woods twice on Sunday.

He and Perry had to return at 7:30 a.m. to finish the storm-delayed third round and wound up tied at 7-under 203. Perry missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 64. Woods was between trees in the left rough on the 16th, pitched out and had 185 yards over the pond that guards the green. He hit into 20 feet for a par, then made two more pars for a 67 to get into the final group. He is 34-3 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

In the final round, he was deep in the trees right of the fairway, and could only punch out a shot that left him 189 yards to a tighter pin. Anything long is in deep grass with the green running away from him, anything short is wet. The shot covered the flag and landed softly, 18 feet behind the cup.

This time, the putt went in.

Divots: Bridgestone was formally introduced as the title sponsor of this World Golf Championship event for the next five years. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said the Bridgestone Invitational will remain at Firestone through 2010. ... Stuart Appleby was assessed a two-shot penalty on the 13th hole when taking relief from a cart path. After taking his first drop, his caddie picked up the ball before it finished rolling. Already 2 over for the day, Appleby took double bogey on the hole and shot 74.

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June 15, 2005

Annika Sorenstam cruising to another title at LPGA Championship

HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. (AP) - Annika Sorenstam showed a vulnerable side to her game Saturday as Laura Davies chipped away at an eight-shot deficit until they were separated by just three shots at the LPGA Championship.
All it took was one hole for Sorenstam to look as unbeatable as ever.
Davies went for broke and wound up in grass that brushed up against her waist, making bogey. Sorenstam executed another flawless shot and made birdie, restoring her big cushion and making the second leg of the Grand Slam look like a mere formality.

All it took was one hole for Sorenstam to look as unbeatable as ever.
Davies went for broke and wound up in grass that brushed up against her waist, making bogey. Sorenstam executed another flawless shot and made birdie, restoring her big cushion and making the second leg of the Grand Slam look like a mere formality.

"It's almost like she's toying with us, like a mouse and cat," Davies said.

Sorenstam is purring right along, posting her record 14th consecutive round in the 60s.

She played the par 5s in 1 over for the second straight day. She finished her third round with a bogey. And she still shot a 3-under 69 to build a five-shot lead going into the final round for the second straight major.

"I'm in a position I want to be in," Sorenstam said. "Hopefully, I can enjoy it tomorrow, play good golf and walk away with the trophy and good memories."

She has been down this road before.

Three months ago and 4,800 kilometres away in the California desert, Sorenstam built a five-shot lead through 54 holes at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, delivered an early knockout punch and won by eight shots.

This time, she got plenty of help.

Davies self-destructed by missing putts inside two feet, squandered her hopes with a bad drive on the 16th and ended a frustrating day with a double-bogey for a 2-over 74 that left her seven shots behind, all but ending her shot at winning to get into the Hall of Fame.

"It's a race for second place," Davies said.

Sorenstam, who was at 12-under 204, will be paired in the final round with Young Kim, who had a 68 and was one of the few players who put up a steady fight on a scorching afternoon at Bulle Rock.

Michelle Wie held her own, too.

The 15-year-old from Hawaii punched a wedge into three feet for birdie on the 18th hole and a 1-under 71, leaving her in a five-way tie for third at 211. But just like everyone else, the prospects of winning are bleak as ever - in part because of the margin, primarily because of the player they are chasing.

"Anything is possible," Wie said. "I'll just put the ball so close to the hole I won't have to putt."

Wie will play in the second-to-last group with Jeong Jang, who shot a 69. Also at 5-under 211 were Natalie Gulbis, who bogeyed three of her first four holes but recovered for a 73, and Moira Dunn (72).

A.J. Eathorne of Penticton, B.C., shot a 2-under 70 and is tied for 28th at 1 over, while Dawn Coe-Jones of Lake Cowichan, B.C., is tied for 64th after a 73 left her at 6 over. Lorie Kane of Charlottetown carded 75 and is tied for 69th at 8 over.

Davies was the only one who threatened Sorenstam until one bad shot wrecked a tremendous comeback.

After four birdies on the back nine to get within three shots, Davies again took a crack with her driver on the 330-yard 16th hole. This one strayed far to the right into grass so thick that even with her strength, Davies whacked a wedge with all her might to move it some 30 feet.

She hit a wedge to six feet and missed the putt for bogey, while Sorenstam hit a sand wedge out of the rough to 10 feet for a birdie, a two-shot swing that was devastating to Davies' chances.

Sorenstam poured it on with another birdie from six feet on the 17th, and Davies finished by hitting an iron off the tee and into the rough, then three-putting for double bogey.

"When you're trying to win, sometimes you mess up," Davies said. "Playing against someone as good as Annika, you've got to try to do something a bit different. This is a hard golf course to be forcing it."

Sorenstam didn't need to take those risks.

"I know what Laura is all about," Sorenstam said. "As a spectator, it's fun to watch. I try not to watch too much. She plays with her heart. I like to say I play with my brain."

It doesn't take a genius to figure out this conclusion.

Sorenstam has only blown a five-shot lead once in her career, at the 2001 State Farm Classic when Kate Golden closed with a 63. Still, that came at a time when Sorenstam wasn't nearly this dominant.

She already has won five of seven tournaments this year. She has won her last six tournaments when leading going into the final round.

"I've worked hard to get here," Sorenstam said. "I'm not going to be in my own way and let it slip away unless somebody comes out and player very, very solid. I'm here to play my best."

A victory would give her the second leg of the Grand Slam, with the U.S. Women's Open only two weeks away at Cherry Hills and no one close to Sorenstam in golf.

For Davies, it was a golden opportunity to earn the final two points she needs for the Hall of Fame, although she let it get away from her quickly, and at times, shockingly.

Haunted by putting woes that have contributed to four years without an LPGA Tour victory, Davies missed an 18-inch par putt on the opening hole, and a two-foot putt on the ninth hole to make double bogey.

Sorenstam knocked in a four-foot birdie putt at No. 1, and just like that, her lead doubled to four shots. That's when the murmurs began among the 20,000 fans at Bulle Rock that it would be another ceremonial Sunday at an LPGA major.

The players in front of her continued to drop shots, a testament to the course getting tougher. Sorenstam surged ahead, a testament to the best player in the game.

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June 08, 2005

Leonard nearly squanders eight-shot lead, holds on to win St. Jude Classic

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The thought slipped into Justin Leonard's mind briefly as he stood over a 3 1/2-foot putt for bogey on No. 18. If he missed, he was going to a playoff.

That eight-stroke lead? Long gone, and his name would be in the record book for blowing the biggest lead ever on the PGA Tour.

"I pretty quickly pushed that out of my mind," Leonard said.

The Texan sunk the putt, reached in the hole for the ball and then collapsed onto the green in relief after pulling out a one-stroke victory over David Toms in the St. Jude Classic on Sunday, the first wire-to-wire win of his career and the second on tour this year.

Starting with an eight-stroke lead, Leonard closed with a 3-over 73 to finish at 14-under 266 and earn his second title of the year and 10th of his career.

"It's a good thing I had an eight-shot cushion because I was able to stay out just enough in front of a great round by David," Leonard said.

It's the second time Leonard didn't record a birdie in his final round and still won, the last at 2002 in Hilton Head when he became the first tour winner to do that in seven years. He hit only five of 18 greens in regulation Sunday.

Toms, the two-time defending champion here, helped spice up the final holes with a 63 that included four birdies, an eagle and a bogey on the back nine. He waited on the practice range and signed autographs while waiting to see if Leonard would slip enough to force a playoff.

"It made it interesting at least," Toms said.

Leonard gave himself a needed cushion when he chipped within seven feet and made the putt for par on the par-4 17th.

"At that point after an eight-shot lead has diminished to two, let's just get it in the house," Leonard said of his decision to stay as far away as possible from the water lining the left side of No. 18. "It wasn't going to be a pretty win no matter what I did on 18. At that point, I didn't care. I just wanted to get it in."

He did just that as he hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker and put his second shot 44 yards short of the green in the rough in front of the grandstands. He took relief with a drop, then chipped over a bunker within 34 feet and putted out for his bogey and the victory.

Leonard, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic winner in January, joined some select company with Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson and Kenny Perry as multiple winners on the tour this year. It's the first time Leonard has won two events in a year since 1997 when he took the Kemper Open and the British Open.

He pocketed the winner's $882,000 US check by becoming only the third wire-to-wire winner in the 48-year history of the tournament, joining Bob Estes (2001) and Dave Hill (1967).

Fred Funk (68) was third at 271, while Davis Love III (68) and Heath Slocum (71) tied for fourth at 272.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., finished in a tie for 70th at 8-over after a final-round 71.

Toms, who pulled off his own six-stroke victory here last year, ran out of holes in trying to become the first player on tour to win the same event three straight years since Tiger Woods.

Toms birdied the par-4 10th to pull within seven strokes. Then he bounced his tee shot on the par-3 11th off the back of the island green and into the water for bogey.

He rebounded with birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 to get to 10 under - the only person other than Leonard to get double digits below par. Toms then eagled the par-5, 519-yard 16th by sinking a seven-foot putt, and chipped in for birdie from 64 feet on No. 17.

Toms' only regret was missing a nearly 14-foot birdie putt on No. 18 that could have forced the playoff and not getting shooting lower on the front side.

"I got to 18 and obviously wanting to make birdie there and finish it off. That's the only time I saw he was all the way back down to 15 (under). I saw where he bogeyed 15. That's the only time I knew I was within two. If I had made that putt, there was the chance he could bogey 17 or 18, which he did," Toms said.

"I just didn't hit a very good putt there on the last hole," Toms said.

Divots: Leonard's 73 matches the highest final-round score by a winner in the tournament. Toms did it last year and won by six strokes, while Hill shot a 73 in 1967. ... Vijay Singh was the last to win on tour despite not making a birdie in the final round before Sunday when he won the 2004 PGA Championship in a playoff that included Leonard. ... This is the 23rd time a player holding a seven-stroke or better lead with 18 holes left has won a tour event since 1970 and the third this year - the most in any year since 1970. Mickelson did it at Pebble Beach, and Perry last week at Colonial.

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May 17, 2005

Thorpe gets playoff win in Blue Angels, Barr finishes tied for seventh

MILTON, Fla. (AP) - Maybe it was the putting tip from Lee Trevino that got Jim Thorpe on a roll.

Thorpe took his second straight Champions Tour victory Monday, hitting a 4 1/2-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to beat Morris Hatalsky in the Blue Angels Classic at the Moors Golf Club. Thorpe, coming off a victory two weeks ago in the FedEx Kinko's Classic in Lakeway, Texas, said his improved play followed a phone call from Trevino at that event.

MILTON, Fla. (AP) - Maybe it was the putting tip from Lee Trevino that got Jim Thorpe on a roll.

BILL KACZOR
Thorpe took his second straight Champions Tour victory Monday, hitting a 4 1/2-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to beat Morris Hatalsky in the Blue Angels Classic at the Moors Golf Club. Thorpe, coming off a victory two weeks ago in the FedEx Kinko's Classic in Lakeway, Texas, said his improved play followed a phone call from Trevino at that event.

"I give Lee credit for it because he didn't have to call me," Thorpe said. "My left shoulder was just too low. Basically, I couldn't rotate the shoulders. I was slapping one right and one left."

Hatalsky and Thorpe each parred the first hole of the playoff Sunday night before play was suspended because of darkness following a pair of rain delays that totalled four hours, 18 minutes.

They parred the second playoff hole Monday, but Hatalsky opened the door for Thorpe's winning birdie when he hit his second shot into a bunker on the approach to the par-4 No. 18.

"When there's two warriors out there, one of us got to go down, and it was his turn to go this time," Thorpe said.

Thorpe forced the playoff with a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation. He closed Sunday with a 3-under 67 and Hatalsky had a 66 to complete 54 holes at 16-under 194.

"I had ample opportunities out there, and I just wasn't making putts when I needed to," Hatalsky said. "I was playing really good, but I just didn't close the deal. I'm disappointed because I should have finished first."

He had a chance to win on the second playoff hole, No. 10, but his 12-foot birdie putt was just short.

"I thought I had a line on it," Hatalsky said. "I just hit it too easy."

But he also credited Thorpe.

"He's got all the shots," Hatalsky said. "He can drive the ball well. He's got great iron play. His short game is excellent. He's the whole package."

Don Pooley (63), Fuzzy Zoeller (64), Peter Jacobsen (65) and Tom Jenkins (66) tied for third at 13 under. Dave Barr of Kelowna, B.C., carded a 63 to finish tied for seventh.

Craig Stadler, tied for ninth after matching the tour record with a second-round 60, shot a 70 to tie for ninth at 11 under.

When tournament officials handed Thorpe his $225,000 US cheque for winning, he noted that he donated the $247,500 he earned from his victory in Texas to the Community Crossing Church in Heathrow, Fla., his hometown.

"It seems like since then I sleep better at night, I wake up early in the morning, my food taste better," Thorpe said.

But then he added, "I think the wife might hold on to this one a little bit."

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