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| November 8, 2005 | Tuesday | Shawwal 5, 1426 |
Bryant’s Cinderella finish proves too hot for Tiger
ATLANTA, Nov 7: American Bart Bryant held his nerve to fire a three-under-par 67 and secure a crushing six-shot victory over Tiger Woods at the Tour Championship on Sunday, providing a Cinderella finish to the US season.
A 42-year-old journeyman who insisted all week he did not belong in golf’s elite, Bryant completed a wire-to-wire win for the third PGA Tour title of his career and his second this season.
The unheralded Texan began the limited-field event in masterful style with a course record 62 on Thursday and ended it with an ice-cool final round and a record winning total of 17-under 263.
Bryant’s surprise victory was worth $1.1 million and almost doubled his earnings over a 19-year-career that has been interrupted by eight visits to the PGA Tour qualifying school.
In an elite field limited to the season’s top 30 money earners, he held off all challengers the entire week, including last-day rallies from world number one Woods and defending champion Retief Goosen.
Woods, who could have become golf’s first $11 million man with victory, began the day four strokes behind Bryant. He mounted a brief back nine charge but ended up having to settle for a distant second place after carding a 69.
Leading final round scores:
263 — Bart Bryant (US) 62, 68, 66, 67.
269 — Tiger Woods (US) 66, 67, 67, 69.
271 — Scott Verplank (US) 67, 66, 69, 69.
273 — Vijay Singh (Fiji) 69, 69, 68, 67; Davis Love III (US) 68, 71, 65, 69; Retief Goosen (South Africa) 64, 66, 69, 74
274 — Adam Scott (Australia) 73, 69, 65, 67; Stuart Appleby (Australia) 70, 65, 71, 68; Ben Crane (US) 68, 65, 72, 69; Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 71, 66, 68, 69.
275 — Mark Calcavecchia (US) 72, 69, 68, 66.
276 — Sean O’Hair (US) 73, 73, 64, 66.
277 — Jim Furyk (US) 70, 70, 67, 70.
278 — Tim Herron (US) 73, 68, 71, 66; Olin Browne (US) 70, 67, 71, 70; Luke Donald (Britain) 70, 67, 70, 71.
MADISON (Mississippi): American Heath Slocum clinched his second PGA Tour title with a two-shot victory at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic in on Sunday.
Slocum, 31, birdied five of the first eight holes on his way to a six-under-par 66 and a 72-hole total of 21-under 267.
Tied for the lead at 20 under with PGA Tour veteran Loren Roberts with two holes to play, Slocum holed a nine-foot birdie putt at the par-four 17th to take control.
Leading final round scores:
267 — Heath Slocum (US) 69, 68, 64, 66.
269 — Carl Pettersson (Sweden) 68, 69, 65, 67; Loren Roberts (US) 68, 67, 66, 68.
270 — Joey Snyder III (US) 67, 68, 65, 70.
271 — Bo Van Pelt (US) 66, 69, 71, 65; John Cook (US) 69, 65, 71, 66; Bob Tway (US) 64, 70, 71, 66; Charlie Wi (South Korea) 68, 68, 69, 66; Shaun Micheel (US) 68, 69, 68, 66; Woody Austin (US) 69, 69, 67, 66; Tag Ridings (US) 68, 66, 68, 69.
273 — D.J. Trahan (US) 69, 69, 70, 65; Rocco Mediate (US) 70, 66, 71, 66; Mario Tiziani (US) 69, 68, 69, 67; Tom Pernice Jr (US) 66, 68, 71, 68; Brett Wetterich (US) 68, 67, 70, 68.—Reuters
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