WENTWORTH, England, 31 May 2004 — Little-known Scott Drummond pulled off the most sensational victory in the 50-year history of the PGA Championship here yesterday when he fired a closing eight-under par to finish two shots ahead of Argentina’s Angel Cabrera.
The 30-year-old Drummond was fourth reserve to get into the championship and is a lowly 435th in the world rankings but he played like a seasoned pro to lift the European Tours flagship event. Drummond, who has won just over 11,000 pounds this season and is 186th in the Order of Merit, picked up a winners check for 419,000 pounds ($767,000).
It was a stunning performance from Drummond who refused to buckle as Cabrera threw birdies and eagles at him.
Success was all but assured when he sank a 30-foot birdie putt at the 17th when it looked like he and Cabrera would go to the 18th tee all tied at 17-under par. Suddenly Drummond kept his one shot lead over the Argentinian as they went to the par-five last and when Cabrera failed to reach the green in two it was only a question of Drummond holding his nerve.
Toms Seizes Seven-Shot PGA Lead
In Memphis, Tennessee, David Toms enjoyed another big round Saturday and has opened a commanding seven-shot lead after the third round of the PGA St. Jude Classic.
The American defending champion, Toms carded a 6-under-par 65 to steer clear of the depleted field at the $4.7 million event. His round included seven birdies and a bogey as he moved to 18-under 195 through 54 holes.
Entering this event mired in a season-long slump, Toms has had three straight rounds in the 60s, including Friday’s bogey-free 63 that matched his best round of the year. Toms is seven shots clear of Vaughn Taylor heading into final round. Taylor entered the day just one shot behind Toms but could not keep pace as he shot an even-par 71 to move to 11-under 202 overall. Brian Gay is third, eight strokes back.
A former PGA champion and the highest-ranked player in the field at 16th, Toms has been slowed by a wrist injury this year. He continued to struggle last week, finishing 44th at the Colonial. While Toms was blistering the front nine, Taylor began to falter with bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4. He regained the strokes with an eagle at No. 5, then birdied Nos. 6 and 9. But he struggled on the back nine with three bogeys and a birdie.
